INNOVATION May-June 2013

n ews

Seismic Retrofit Guidelines Recognized with Award for

Engineering Excellence

The Seismic Retrofit Guidelines for the Performance-based Seismic Risk Assessment and Seismic Retrofit Design of BC Low Rise School Buildings have been recognized with the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Engineering Excellence. The honour was given at the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies British Columbia (ACEC-BC) 2013 Awards for Engineering Excellence on April 6, 2013, where the Guidelines also received the Award of Excellence in the category of Soft Engineering. In 2004, BC’s Ministry of Education initiated a $1.5 billion program for the seismic mitigation of public school buildings. The ministry retained APEGBC to manage the development of new performance-based technical guidelines for structural engineers to use in carrying out seismic risk assessments and retrofit design.

What resulted were ground-breaking, innovative technical guidelines emerging from a unique collaboration between government, academia and the engineering community. Following extensive research, development and review, interim guidelines were published in 2005 and 2006, and in 2011, the 1 st edition of the Seismic Retrofit Guidelines was released. A second draft edition was released in 2012 with a companion web-based Seismic Performance Analyzer tool. The Guidelines allow users to effectively and consistently determine the seismic risk of an existing building, and optimize the extent of new structural components required to achieve a life-safety seismic performance. The Seismic Retrofit Guidelines were previously recognized with the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering’s Excellence in Innovation in Civil Engineering

Award. The methodology is also being utilized by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Seismic Retrofit Guidelines stand as a remarkable example of how engineers contribute towards the public safety and wellbeing of British Columbians. APEGBC extends congratulations to all those involved in the guideline’s development: BC Ministry of Education (Project Owner) GENIVAR TBG Seismic David Nairne and Associates Alkins Project Services AUSENCO Bush Bohlman and Partners Read Jones Christoffersen Earthquake Engineering Research Facility, UBC Department of Civil Engineering John A. Wallace Engineering Dr. Farzad Naeim, PE, SE, Esq. Dr. Michael Mehrain, PE, SE Dr. Robert D. Hanson, PE. v

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