Improving the seismic performance of existing buildings and other structures

Buildings are the backbone of the world's infrastructure - house of families and businesses, provide emergency shelter, provide places for education, enable our industries, and bring about an improved standard of living for people throughout the world. Without this backbone, civilization doesn't exist. Each year buildings and other structures are designed and built with a continually improving understanding of their performance during earthquakes, yet the vast majority of structures were built with substantially less understanding of seismic actions than we currently possess.

The challenges to improving the seismic performance of existing buildings and other structures are as broad and varied as the individual structures themselves. How should they be evaluated and strengthened? What plans exist? What materials were used? What assumptions were made? Were they built as designed, and if not, what modifications were made but possibly (probably) not documented?

This inaugural conference, organized by the Applied Technology Council and the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), is dedicated solely to improving the seismic performance of existing buildings and other structures. The program is being planned to provide a forum for the presentation and exchange of new information on the seismic evaluation and seismic rehabilitation of existing buildings, including case studies, new discoveries, innovative use of new technologies and materials, implementation issues, needed improvements to existing standards and methods, and socio-economic issues. The goal is to provide an invaluable opportunity to advance your understanding of the tools, techniques and innovations available to assist you in meeting the challenges of seismic evaluation and rehabilitation. For those new to the profession, the conference will also provide an opportunity to get up to speed on core issues.