Improved Design and Retrofit Methodology for Seismically Vulnerable Open Ground Storey Structures
Open Ground Storey (OGS) structures bore the brunt of seismic damage in the Bhuj (2001) earthquake. Functionally, these are built for the purpose of parking of vehicles by removing the in-filled walls in the ground storey. This causes a discontinuity in the lateral stiffness and lateral strength along the vertical direction thus imposing large displacement demand on this open ground storey. Hence, a need exists for developing improved design and retrofit methodologies for these special class of buildings in India. Conflict demand between seismic safety and functional requirement, and moreover the huge number of OGS buildings in urban areas in India necessitates the seismic vulnerability assessment of existing OGS buildings. The project proposes a methodology for seismic vulnerability assessment of existing OGS buildings and design guidelines for new buildings. Feasibility of various retrofit strategies for OGS buildings will be explored.
Open ground storey building retrofitted with shear wall