Seismic Risk Assessment of Existing Buildings of HSTU Campus in Dinajpur

Abstract

Bangladesh is at high risk of earthquakes due to its geographic location. Earthquakes can cause widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure, as well as significant loss of life, due to the sudden release of energy in the form of seismic waves. Therefore, identifying and assessing the vulnerability of existing buildings is crucial for earthquake risk reduction. Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) is situated just 13 kilometers from Dinajpur, which falls under zone II, a medium-risk zone according to the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC, 1993). This study aims to evaluate the seismic vulnerability of HSTU's existing buildings. A widely used seismic assessment technique, the Turkish two-level assessment procedure, was employed in this study to identify seismically vulnerable buildings. A total of 79 buildings were surveyed at level I, considering vulnerability parameters such as soft storey, heavy overhanging, pounding effect, topographic effect, short column, shape of building, number of storeys, apparent quality of building, and soil type. Based on these parameters, performance scores were assigned to each building, and they were classified into damage categories of safe, moderate, and unsafe at level I. Digital photographs of each building from at least two directions were taken for easy identification. All 79 buildings on the HSTU campus were found to be safe after the level I survey. Level II assessment was conducted on only one building to validate the level I findings, and it was classified as a low-risk structure. A significant outcome of this study is the identification of damage categories and the potential to reduce seismic risk at HSTU by creating a comprehensive building inventory.