Quantifying functionality of buildings to natural hazards

Abstract

Continued functionality of critical infrastructure systems shortly after an earthquake is expected. However, experience has shown that this is often not the case. Building with limited or no structural damage may still experience significant non-structural damage or be impacted by surrounding and interconnected infrastructural failures that can a sustained and substantial impact on the operability of the building. A method to rapidly identify how damage, outages, or blockages are linked to drops in functional performance measures for the people and organisations is being developed for hospitals and will be further expanded to other building occupancies and infrastructure including commercial buildings, critical facilities, and housing. Immediate understanding of damage and the subsequent effects of the damage can provide instant feedback on the level of operational functionality. This poster show how this is currently being implemented for hospitals and how this work can be extended to other buildings. Functionality is determined through the use of risk analysis tools that help to quantitatively define probabilities of building and organisational functionality. The project aims to take a holistic view of a building’s performance, considering the physical and spatial factors of damage, use and needs of the structure, and interconnected interdependencies.