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Innovative Solutions for Enhancing Seismic Resilience of Buildings

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A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Structures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 10969

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Himan Hojat Jalali

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
Interests: seismic resilience; infrastructure resilience; structural control; finite element analysis; structural engineering

Dr. Arman Mamazizi

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Guest Editor

Civil Engineering Department, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria St.—YNG-900, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Interests: experimental study on full scale steel and concrete specimens; finite element methods (FEM); nonlinear analysis of structures; passive metallic damper; steel plate shear wall

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Earthquakes can have devastating effects on both the environment and infrastructure. Despite the history of destructive earthquakes, many countries still rely on outdated and traditional construction techniques for their buildings, leaving them susceptible to significant structural damage, collapses, and disruption of services in an earthquake event. This vulnerability can lead to loss of life, significant economic losses, and interrupting emergency response efforts. To mitigate these adverse impacts, transitioning from traditional construction methods to more advanced technologies and alternatives is essential. One such strategy is developing innovative solutions that enhance the seismic resilience of buildings against extreme events, like severe earthquakes. This will help to minimize the detrimental effects of earthquakes, control damage, avoid structural collapse, and preserve human life. This Special Issue focuses on innovative seismic solutions with a low-damage concept. We welcome papers on topics including, but not limited to, the following:

Low-damage systems;
Passive, active, and semi-active control methods;
Self-centering systems;
Rocking systems;
Innovative dampers.

Dr. Himan Hojat Jalali
Dr. Arman Mamazizi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

structural resilience damage control
damper
rocking mechanism
low-damage system
repairable seismic system
self-centering seismic system

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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32 pages, 85093 KB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling Seismic Resilience and Hospital Evacuation: A Comparative Analysis of Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning and Classical Evacuation Models

by Chunlin Bian, Yonghao Guo, Gang Meng, Liuyang Li, Hua Chen, Fuhong Lv and Xiaofeng Chai

Buildings 2026, 16(8), 1538; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16081538 - 14 Apr 2026

Viewed by 274

Abstract

Hospitals in earthquake-prone regions must evacuate heterogeneous occupants rapidly while preserving operational continuity under disrupted conditions. However, many hospital-evacuation studies still rely on static routing assumptions or narrowly defined behavioral rules, which limits their value for building-level resilience planning. This paper develops a comparative hospital-campus evacuation framework that combines GIS-based geodesic routing, heterogeneous agent-based modeling, and reinforcement-learning-based decision policies. Puge County People’s Hospital in Sichuan, China, is used as the case study. Six algorithms are evaluated: three rule-based baselines—Shortest Path (SP), Random Walk (RW), and the Social Force Model (SFM)—together with a training-free density-aware heuristic, Density-Aware Gradient Routing (DAGR), and two reinforcement-learning approaches, Density-Aware Q-Learning (DAQL) and SARSA. Experiments cover three population scales (

N \in {50, 100, 200}

), normal daytime conditions, staffing-variation scenarios, and a blocked-exit disruption scenario, with 30 independent runs for each main condition. The results show that the rule-based and training-free methods remain the most reliable under full multi-agent evaluation: the SFM and RW achieve the highest completion ratios (approximately 100% and 93.5%, respectively), while DAGR provides the strongest balance between completion and evacuation efficiency among the non-trained methods. In contrast, the trained RL agents perform substantially worse in direct multi-agent deployment with DAQL reaching approximately 37% completion and SARSA approximately 17%, highlighting a train–evaluation distribution shift associated with independent Q-learning. The ablation analysis further shows that collision avoidance is the most critical reward component, whereas density-avoidance shaping can unintentionally induce collective deadlock when all agents execute the learned policy simultaneously. Among the enhanced variants, DAQL_RoleAware yields the best overall improvement, increasing the completion ratio to approximately 52% and reducing the 90th-percentile evacuation time to approximately 363 s. Overall, this paper clarifies both the promise and the present limitations of density-aware reinforcement learning for hospital evacuation while providing a more building-centred and reproducible basis for future coordination-aware evacuation design and emergency-planning research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Solutions for Enhancing Seismic Resilience of Buildings)

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20 pages, 5320 KB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of ELF Procedure for Seismically Isolated Buildings Under Extreme Earthquakes: Near-Field Effects

by Cem Yenidogan and Aydın Mert

Buildings 2026, 16(6), 1115; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16061115 - 11 Mar 2026

Viewed by 466

Abstract

The earthquake doublet on 6 February 2023 served as an important test in Türkiye. It helped assess the vulnerability of Türkiye’s building stock under different seismic loading conditions across a large region. The widespread destruction and casualties observed in heavily damaged cities following the 6 February 2023 earthquakes served as a warning. This urged a re-evaluation of the seismic performance assessment framework and risk mitigation strategies. Seismic isolation technology is considered the best method for earthquake-resilient design. Passive control systems are primarily preferred for use in critical facilities, such as healthcare complexes and data centers. Properly designed seismically isolated hospital buildings exhibited superior performance during the 6 February 2023 earthquakes compared to fixed-base counterparts. However, their use in residential buildings in Türkiye is still limited due to impediments such as stringent code requirements and peer review processes. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the ELF procedure in the Turkish Seismic Design Code-2018, incorporating two site-specific studies and earthquake record scaling in Antakya city center. Moreover, it examines the influence of considering directivity effects for using seismic isolation systems in regions with high seismicity. An effective and rapid evaluation procedure is employed for the inelastic response of seismically isolated residential buildings in accordance with the TSDC-2018 without needing any particular academic or commercial software. A suite of differential equations using the design parameters is arranged to represent the overall dynamics of seismically isolated buildings. Disregarding the directivity effects in site-specific studies for the selected construction site in Antakya city center can result in large earthquake demands and careful attention should be given to reconstruction studies for urban planning and more detailed studies should be carried out including other complex mechanisms experienced during the 6 February 2023 Türkiye earthquake doublet. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Solutions for Enhancing Seismic Resilience of Buildings)

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27 pages, 6156 KB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation on Seismic Performance of RC Beam–Column Joints Retrofitted with Steel Jackets in Presence of Transverse Beams

by Jiming Li, Zhenxun Dai, Peng Zhang, Xing Wu and Bu Wang

Buildings 2026, 16(6), 1105; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16061105 - 10 Mar 2026

Viewed by 361

Abstract

Steel jackets are widely used for the seismic retrofitting of reinforced concrete (RC) beam–column joints. However, the details and efficiencies of steel jackets are directly impacted by the presence of transverse beams. An in-depth understanding of this issue has been lacking so far. In this study, using realistic configurations of transverse beams, the seismic performance of exterior RC beam–column joints retrofitted according to the modified steel jacketing method were investigated numerically and theoretically. The refined nonlinear three-dimensional finite element approach was adopted and verified against experimental observations. A series of parameters were considered, including the number of transverse beams; the thickness, width and spacing of the steel strips at joint panels; and the axial compression ratio of columns. The results obtained from twenty specimens in terms of load response, cracking pattern, stress distribution, stiffness degradation and energy dissipation confirmed the effectiveness of the modified steel jacketing method. Significant differences among the roles of the parameters were revealed, and the reasons behind the differences were analyzed. Moreover, by means of significance analysis, the width and thickness of the steel strips were identified as the most influential parameters on the shear capacities of the joint panels with single- and double-sided transverse beams, respectively. Furthermore, based on the softened strut-and-tie model, a design approach for predicting the shear contribution of steel jackets in the presence of transverse beams was proposed for engineering applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Solutions for Enhancing Seismic Resilience of Buildings)

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19 pages, 1818 KB

Open AccessArticle

Probabilistic Seismic Fragility of Arch Dam Abutments Under Uplift Pressure

by Hosein Izadi, Seyed Alireza Zareei, Niloofar Salemi and Hadi Bahmani

Buildings 2026, 16(3), 567; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16030567 - 29 Jan 2026

Viewed by 403

Abstract

Uplift pressure is a major contributor to seismic instability in arch dam abutments, particularly where jointed rock masses form wedge-shaped failure blocks. This study develops an integrated numerical framework combining nonlinear finite element analysis, the Londe limit-equilibrium method, and Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) to quantify the seismic stability of multiple abutment wedges in the Bakhtiari Arch Dam. A three-dimensional finite element model is used to compute dam–abutment thrust forces, while sixteen far-field ground motions are scaled to capture the progression of wedge instability with increasing spectral acceleration. Uplift pressures on joint planes are varied to represent different levels of grout curtain performance. The results indicate that uplift pressure is the dominant factor controlling wedge stability, substantially reducing effective normal stresses and shifting IDA and fragility curves toward lower acceleration demands. Deep wedges (WL4, WL5, WL6 located in the left abutment of the dam) exhibit the highest vulnerability, with instability probabilities exceeding 50% at spectral accelerations as low as 0.34 g under 50% uplift conditions, compared with values greater than 0.65 g for upper wedges. Parametric analyses further show that increasing the joint friction angle significantly enhances seismic resistance, whereas cohesion has a comparatively minor effect. The findings emphasize the necessity of accurate uplift characterization and wedge-specific seismic assessment, and they highlight the crucial role of grout-curtain effectiveness in ensuring the seismic safety of arch dam abutments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Solutions for Enhancing Seismic Resilience of Buildings)

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22 pages, 6770 KB

Open AccessArticle

Seismic Response Estimation of Multi-Story Structures Equipped with a Cost-Effective Earthquake Protection System

by Ryuta Enokida and Cem Yenidogan

Buildings 2025, 15(17), 3233; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15173233 - 8 Sep 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1012

Abstract

This study presents a new method for estimating the seismic responses of multi-story structures equipped with a cost-effective earthquake protection system. This system comprises a graphite lubrication interface, targeting a friction coefficient of approximately 0.2, and a feasible restoring force mechanism to suppress residual displacements. It utilizes the concept of sliding systems through conventional and affordable construction materials although it acts like a fixed-based structure until exceeding the threshold level. This multi-story estimation procedure is an extension of the recently developed procedure for estimating the shear coefficient of a single-story sliding structure with a restoring force mechanism. In the new estimation procedure, a multi-story superstructure is firstly regarded as a single-story superstructure to determine the shear coefficient. Then, the shear coefficient is distributed to each story through floor distribution coefficients considering the mass ratios. The contribution of ground motion intensity is also incorporated into the new form for improving accuracy. For this examination, incremental dynamic analyses (IDAs) are performed for three and six-story free-standing structures, both with and without a restoring force capability. The results clarify the reliability of the new estimation, which matched the IDA results within the ±20% error. The improvement in accuracy achieved by incorporating ground motion intensity is also clarified. The multi-story estimation with the improvement can reasonably estimate the seismic response of sliding structures, without dynamic analysis, solely based on structural properties. This greatly benefits the design process. Furthermore, the IDA results clarified the significant benefits of multi-story sliding structures employing graphite lubrication and properly designed restoring force mechanisms in reducing structural damage and suppressing residual sliding displacements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Solutions for Enhancing Seismic Resilience of Buildings)

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27 pages, 14793 KB

Open AccessArticle

Seismic Performance Assessment of Optimal Tandem-Based Tuned Mass Damper Inerters

by Maziar Fahimi Farzam, Shahram Ajori, Himan Hojat Jalali and Rim Najmeddine

Buildings 2025, 15(9), 1441; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15091441 - 24 Apr 2025

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1586

Abstract

In the current work, two novel tandem-based tuned mass damper configurations are introduced. These configurations extend the recently proposed tuned tandem mass damper inerter (TTMDI) by replacing the linking dashpot with an inerter (i.e., the inerter-connected TTMDI (ICTTMDI)), and an integrated tuned tandem mass damper inerter (I-TTMDI) by integrating recently proposed tuned tandem mass damper (TTMD) configurations. The control efficiency of the optimally designed dampers for a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system was evaluated in a uniform framework to reveal and compare the performances of the ICTTMDI and I-TTMDI with those of other recently proposed tandem-based configurations. The optimum design of all the studied configurations was determined by the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The evaluation of the performances included the effectiveness in the frequency domain and that of the norm and maximum reduction in the displacement and absolute acceleration in the time domain under 21 earthquake records with different characteristics. Additionally, the strokes of the dampers, the structure energies, and the power spectral densities (PSDs) of the responses were investigated. The optimum design of the I-TTMDI revealed the best configuration by determining the optimum distributions of the mass and inertance between the tandem mass and inerter links, respectively. The proposed configuration not only demonstrated improved response reduction across the displacement and acceleration measures but also maintained remarkable robustness under 21 earthquake records (far-fault, near-fault forward-directivity, and fling-step records). Furthermore, the advantages of the side inerter distribution were particularly effective at widening the operating frequency band, breaking through the traditional limitations of TMD-based devices. The consistent performances of the newly proposed configurations prove that they can be used to advance the development of more reliable structural control systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Solutions for Enhancing Seismic Resilience of Buildings)

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26 pages, 10298 KB

Open AccessArticle

Seismic Resilience Evaluation of High-Rise Frame-Core Tube Structure Considering Structural Network Performance Loss and Repair Path

by Jianfeng Lu, Zuohua Li and Jun Teng

Buildings 2025, 15(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15010023 - 25 Dec 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2111

Abstract

Structural seismic resilience is influenced by both the structural performance loss (loss) and the repair path (path). Some studies ensure the reality of path but lack accuracy of loss. Others ensure the accuracy of loss but lack the reality of path. Therefore, this paper proposes a new resilience evaluation method for frame-core tube structure that considers both loss and path. Firstly, the complex network method is used to establish structural network performance and its loss index. Next, the repair path is determined by updating the network performance after component repairs. Then, a resilience index that considers both network performance loss and repair path is proposed. Finally, the resilience of the case structures is evaluated and compared with methods that do not reasonably consider loss or path. The results indicate that the proposed method can comprehensively consider the impact of loss and path on resilience. Loss has a greater impact on resilience when the structure is less than slight loss or is in the late stage of moderate loss. Path has a greater impact on resilience when the structure is slight loss or is in the early stage of moderate loss. When only considering loss, the fixed linear path underestimates the resilience of a convex-shaped path and overestimates the resilience of a concave-shaped path. When only considering path, underestimating or overestimating loss can lead to a higher or lower resilience. Particularly when the structure is in the late stage of moderate loss, resilience dropped from 89.16% to 42.04% due to overestimation of loss. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Solutions for Enhancing Seismic Resilience of Buildings)

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Review

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16 pages, 2561 KB

Open AccessReview

The Seismic Evaluation of Existing Buildings for Energy Renovation—A Case Study for the Residential Building Stock in Bucharest (Romania)

by Florin Pavel and George Nica

Buildings 2024, 14(6), 1742; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14061742 - 10 Jun 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3447

Abstract

This study focuses on an overview of two programs applied to the residential building stock of Bucharest (Romania), namely, the seismic strengthening program and the thermal rehabilitation program. The methodology for seismic risk assessment given in the current generation of Romanian codes, as well as in previous regulations, is examined. A brief review of other seismic risk assessment methodologies currently applied in various seismically prone countries is also presented. Examples of high-rise buildings in Bucharest that suffered significant damage during the Vrancea 1977 earthquake and that were thermally rehabilitated without any strengthening works are shown in this paper. The consistent differences between the current outcomes of the two programs are presented and discussed. Finally, this review paper highlights the lack of coherence in terms of seismic risk assessments for the same class of buildings, inducing, in some situations, a false feeling of safety in the building inhabitants. In addition, a combined procedure for both seismic strengthening and thermal rehabilitation is mandatory, considering the seismicity of Romania, as well as ongoing climate change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Solutions for Enhancing Seismic Resilience of Buildings)

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