Strengthening School Buildings Against Earthquakes - a PDH Online Course for Engineers, Architects and Surveyors

Strengthening School Buildings Against Earthquakes

Course Outline

This six-hour online course focuses on the safety of school buildings and their occupants, and the economic losses and social disruption caused by an earthquake. The course provides guidance for engineers concerned with school-building design, and concentrates on K-12 schools; the emphasis is on the design of new schools, but the repair, renovation, and extension of existing schools is also addressed. The course begins with an overview of the nature and probability of earthquakes. Then the vulnerability of schools to earthquake damage, the history of school damage in recent U.S. earthquakes, and the consequences (casualties, financial loss, and operational disruption) are discussed. The historical background, relation to schools and effectiveness of seismic building codes are presented. Methods are described for the systematic evaluation of existing schools for seismic risk, and for reducing earthquake risk through proper structural design. The course concludes with a discussion of schools as a post-earthquake shelter.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

Be familiar with earthquake probabilities for the United States;
Understand the relation between earthquakes and other geologic hazards;
Be able to apply the equivalent lateral-force equation;
Be familiar with lateral-force resisting systems: shear walls and moment-resistant frames;
Understand typical design problems: torsional forces, stress concentrations, and soft stories;
Be familiar with retrofit methods;
Be knowledgeable about the determination of local earthquake hazards;
Be familiar with the concept of reducing damage to nonstructural components and systems;
Understand the concept of Richter Magnitude;
Be familiar with the performance-based design approach;
Be familiar with the Field Act;
Be knowledgeable about the consequences of an earthquake for a school: casualties, financial loss, and operational disruption;
Be familiar with the scope, effectiveness, and limitations of codes;
Be knowledgeable about the concept of the fundamental period of a structure;
Be familiar with the seismic codes and their application to schools;
Be familiar with the effectiveness of seismic codes;
Understand the concept of evaluating existing schools for seismic risk;
Be familiar with the process of rapid visual screening;
Be familiar with the systems checklist for school seismic safety evaluation; and
Understand various earthquake risk reduction methods.

Intended Audience

This course is intended primarily for structural, civil, mechanical and construction engineers, and would also be of particular interest to engineers serving as consultants to school officials involved in the technical and financial decisions of school construction, repair, and renovations.

Benefit to Attendees

An attendee of this course will be able to use seismic design concepts in the particular context of the design, upgrade and construction of school buildings.

Course Introduction

Our society places great importance on the education system and its schools, and has a tremendous investment in current and future schools. Currently, approximately 53 million kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12) students attend over 92,000 public schools and it is estimated that the public student population will have reached 54.3 million by 20041; to this figure must be added the substantial population of private school students. The sizes of these school facilities range from one-room rural schoolhouses to citywide and mega schools that house 5,000 or more students. The school is both a place of learning and an important community resource and center. This course is concerned with the protection of schools and their occupants against earthquakes.

Course Content

This course is based on Chapter 4 of “Design Guide for Improving School Safety in Earthquakes, Floods, and High Winds.” FEMA 424, January 2004.

Design Guide for Improving School Safety in Earthquakes, Floods, and High Winds.

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Course Summary

An examination of the history of earthquakes and the accompanying damage that they have done to schools shows the criticality of strengthening school buildings against earthquakes. Fortunately, much can be done: implementation of seismic building codes, adoption of appropriate design practices, and evaluation of existing schools for seismic risk. Recommendations for risk reduction must take into account the particular school system under consideration, for example, its size, the age of its buildings, and the availability of alternative sites which present favorable geologic conditions. Implementation of strengthening measures have proven successful, in that schools designed and constructed, based on these measures, have subsequently exhibited relatively little damage when struck by earthquakes.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

Design Guide for Improving School Safety in Earthquakes, Floods, and High Winds

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.