Seismic Risk Analysis of Hospital Buildings: A Novel Interval-Valued Spherical Fuzzy ARAS

Abstract

Hospitals are vital infrastructures, but they can be particularly susceptible if located in an earthquake-prone area. Estimating the performance and projected damage of these structures in the event of future earthquakes is critical to minimize physical damage and disruption of surgery, rehabilitation, laboratory services, and other medical care operations. A quick and low-cost pre-assessment of the sensitivity of these structures will help hospital managements prepare for suitable retrofitting and reconstruction. On the other hand, a seismic risk assessment equires constructing a model that can offer expert opinions in a quantitative, methodical, and quantifiable way while still reflecting the uncertain and imprecise character of the process. This paper proposes a new decision support model by extending Additive Ratio Assessment (ARAS) with interval-valued spherical fuzzy sets. The study includes sensitivity and comparison analyses, practical implications, limitations, and future research avenues. The applicability of our methodology demonstrated a numerical example for assessing the seismic risk levels of hospital buildings.