Facade Damage Assessment of the Buildings in Bam, Iran 2003 and Kermanshah, Iran 2017 Earthquakes

Abstract

One of the essential factors in buildings frontage is the continuity of the structural and building envelope parts. In this investigation, a comparison was made between Bam and Kermanshah earthquakes. A strong earthquake (magnitude 6.6) struck the city of Bam in southeast Iran on 26 December 2003, and similarly, another strong earthquake struck the city of Kermanshah (magnitude 7.3) in Iran on 12 November 2017. Damage in the facades of the buildings was a clear contributor to the overall building damage. This paper presents the damage assessment of the different facade systems from multi-story buildings in Bam and Kermanshah, Iran. The survey covers the buildings greater than three stories in height, excluding most unreinforced masonry facades. As far as a building can have more than one facade system, any facade systems are evaluated individually. Observation of facade damage is discussed and is presented in terms of its performance level.