Significance of multi-hazard risk in design of buildings under earthquake and wind loads

Abstract Traditionally, external hazards are considered in the design of a building through the various combinations of loads prescribed in relevant design codes and standards. It is often the case that the design is governed by a single dominant hazard at a given geographic location. This is particularly true for earthquake and wind hazards, both of which impart time-dependent dynamic loads on the structure. Engineers may nevertheless wonder if a building designed for one of the two dominant hazards will satisfactorily withstand the other. Prior studies have indicated that in some cases, when a building is designed for a single dominant hazard, it does not necessarily provide satisfactory performance against the other hazard. In this paper, we propose a novel framework that builds upon performance-based design requirements and determines whether the design of a building is governed primarily by a single hazard or multiple hazards. It integrates site-dependent hazard characteristics with the performance criteria for a given building type and building geometry. The framework is consistent with the burgeoning area of probabilistic risk assessment, and yet can easily be extended to traditional, deterministically characterized design requirements as illustrated herein.