Linking Next-Generation Performance-Based Seismic Design Criteria to Environmental Performance (ATC-86 and ATC-58)

The Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) has sponsored a project by the Applied Technology Council (ATC) to develop next generation performance-based seismic design guidelines, FEMA P-58, that can be used to design new buildings or upgrade existing buildings to reliably and economically attain desired performance goals, and to assist stakeholders in selecting appropriate design performance goals for individual buildings (ATC, 2011). The project includes the establishment of a methodology for predicting the earthquake performance of buildings characterized in terms of probable life loss, repair costs and time out of service resulting from earthquake effects, expressed in a variety of formats useful to different stakeholders and decision makers. As part of this effort a Performance Assessment Calculation Tool (PACT) has been developed to gather and organize building information, perform loss calculations and evaluate loss information. In the spring of 2011, the project was expanded with the initiation of the ATC 86 to develop a draft methodology to quantify the environmental impacts (in terms of carbon footprint and other measures) of seismic damage and potential environmental benefits of performance based seismic design and retrofit. The project team is currently developing strategies to link life cycle assessment data to the damage and repair estimates generated by the P-58 methodology and as of December 2011 is approximately half way through the project. This paper outlines the seismic and environmental performance measures being integrated by the ATC-86 team and identifies critical issues to address as the project moves forward.

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