Soft-Storey Damages in Multi-Storied Buildings: A Critical Review

Authors:

Saraswati Setia (National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra)

C.V.R. Murty (Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur)

V.K. Sehgal (National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra)

Keywords: Structural configuration, soft storey, earthquake effects.

Abstract:

While the provisions of earthquake resistance are accomplished through structural means, the architectural design and decisions that create it play a major role in determining the seismic performances of buildings. An important aspect considered in architectural design is the seismic structural configuration of buildings. In this paper a critical review of one of the vertical configuration problems namely the soft and/or weak storey is addressed with regards to specific causes, some case studies, remedial measures and the lessons learnt. Soft storey can occur at any floor but is more critical in the first storey as earthquake effects are generally greatest at this level. This paper identifies some major international soft storey failures around the world.