Performance-Based Seismic Assessment of the General Docente Ambato Hospital
摘要
The performance-based seismic evaluation considers the probable response of structural, nonstructural, and building components to different seismic hazard levels. This methodology manages a classification according to the occupancy of a structure, classifying hospitals as essential buildings that must remain operational immediately after a design earthquake. In this study, using Python, the seismic assessment of a seismically retrofitted healthcare building in Ecuador has been carried out based on the fundamentals of the FEMA P-58 methodology. As a result, performance indices are obtained, verifying that, in terms of structural elements, the response is adequate to the design and the maximum considered earthquakes since the damage is concentrated in concentric bracing elements and not in the beam-column joints or on another main element, resulting in an efficient repair. However, nonstructural elements, specifically masonry, represent the most affected fragility group, making the repair long and expensive, failing to meet the immediate occupation objective in the event of a design earthquake. Consequently, the need to improve the masonry’s seismic response to prevent the hospital’s functional collapse is highlighted.