Structural Evaluation and Strengthening Strategy of the Law Faculty Hall Building in Andalas University, Padang, Indonesia

Abstract

The Law Faculty Hall building is one of the composite steel-concrete building structures in Andalas University, Padang, Indonesia. This building was designed according to the old Indonesian seismic code (SNI 1726-2002). The building was first constructed in 2006. However, it cannot be completed in the year due to the lack of the university budget. In 2012, the revised seismic code (SNI 1726-2012) was published, so evaluating the building structure should be carried out according to the revised code. The building's analysis results based on SNI 1726-2012 show that the existing building could not carry the combination of loads acting on the building structure. Therefore, the building should be strengthened before continuing the construction to meet the new performance-based seismic design techniques' requirements. In this study, there are three strengthening methods recommended and analyzed: (a) Installment of inverted V-type steel bracing (IWF 200.100.5.5.8) to the structural frames; (b) Increase of the web thickness of the IWF beams; and (c) Addition of the longitudinal steel bar (4 D10) and shear reinforcement (Ø8-150mm) to the composite beams. The building performance is evaluated in terms of the structural elements' load-bearing capacity, story drifts, and lateral displacements. The results show that all the strengthening methods improve the building's structural capacity to resist the applied loads. Therefore, reinforcement bars to the composite beams were recommended as the best method to strengthen the building due to cost-effectiveness and ease installed.