Proposal of a design code for seismic isolation of buildings in Colombia

Abstract

The current seismic design Colombian code (NSR-10) indicates that isolated buildings shall be designed according to USA documents (mainly ASCE 7). Such regulations are fitted to the particular US conditions, not being completely applicable to foreign countries. Therefore, using unreflexively foreign regulations in Colombia might generate technical inconsistencies and economic overruns, thus impairing the promotion of seismic isolation. Moreover, apparently, the last two versions of ASCE 7 (2010 and 2016) differ significantly, although the final results are rather similar. On the other side, the Damping Modification Factors for the US cannot be considered in other countries, given that are strongly dependent on the local seismicity. Finally, the US regulations are apparently oriented to essential buildings, being excessively demanding for ordinary use; conversely, in Colombia, base isolation might be also useful for non-essential constructions. Given the above considerations, a draft proposal of a Colombian design code is under development. This work discusses and compares the most recent two versions of the American regulation ASCE 7 (2010 and 2016), identifies disagreements with the Colombian (NSR-10) regulation, and proposes criteria for analysis and design of buildings with seismic isolation in Colombia.