This is a post-event investigation project to learn engineering lessons from the Loma Prieta earthquake (October 1989). The objective of this project is to establish more rational guidelines for the detail and proportion of shear wall buildings for earthquake resistance. The research conducted involves detailed analytical studies on two shear wall dominant buildings in the San Francisco Bay area. The buildings were subjected to the 17 October 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, and suffered no apparent damage. The buildings had been instrumented by the California Strong Motion Instrumentation Program (CSMIP), and substantial data was recorded in the event and its aftershocks. In addition, building responses have been measured in the previous earthquakes of lesser intensity; therefore, a broad range of data exists to study building performances. The analytical studies are designed to evaluate current modeling techniques and code requirements for shear wall buildings in regions of moderate to severe seismicity. Findings and conclusions of the investigation will be used to evaluate possible modifications to existing codes.
