INNOVATION March-April 2016

electrical, geotechnical, and other non-structural aspects of building performance all come into play. Building rating systems that categorise expected seismic performance, such as the one recently launched by the US Resiliency Council (www.usrc.org), offer a promising way to convey the message to the public and assign a value to seismic safety in the marketplace. When a large earthquake eventually strikes near a densely populated community of BC, engineers will have a key role to play in the response and recovery phases of the emergency. The SEABC’s Post-Earthquake Response Committee is working with APEGBC, Emergency Management BC, BC Housing, the City including terminal expansion, airside construction and infrastructure upgrades. He joined the Airport Authority in 1994 as manager, Engineering Projects, held the role of director, Engineering Projects, for many years and also served as vice president, Airport Operations and Engineering, during his 22 years at YVR.

Earthquake Performance of Buildings Over the past 30 years, the state of practice in the seismic design of buildings and other structures has seen considerable advancement. Lessons gleaned from earthquake events and academic research have made their way into modern building codes, and our profession has largely embraced these developments and incorporated them into our designs. In this regard, we owe ourselves some credit. But in the bigger picture, there is much more that we can do as professional engineers to enhance the earthquake resilience of our communities and the province. As engineers, we understand that code-compliant buildings are expected to sustain considerable—perhaps irreparable— damage during the design-level earthquake. But building owners and the general public When this is done, we will run through our process once again, reassessing it to see if we got it right and to improve it further. As YVR’s vice president, Engineering & Environment, Don Ehrenholz, P.Eng., oversees long-term planning of the Airport and implementation of YVR’s capital program,

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Andrew Seeton, P.Eng.

do not share this understanding. Many may imagine their new building to be earthquake-proof or consider the upgrading of an existing building to be an unnecessary burden. Others do not perceive a large earthquake to be a threat to our region. The Board of the Structural Engineers Association of BC (SEABC) has often contemplated this dilemma. It is necessary for professional engineers to educate clients about the level of earthquake performance that can be reasonably expected from new and existing buildings, and to suggest options for improved performance. We have the skills to encourage the design of better buildings, using performance- based design techniques to show expected outcomes in terms that are meaningful to project stakeholders and the public. This effort requires participation from multiple engineering disciplines: mechanical,

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