Performance Based Seismic Design - State of Practice 2012 in the United States of America

This paper presents a summary of the state of the practice for Performance Based Seismic Design (PBSD) in the United States. While it is not included in the prescriptive provisions of the United States' building codes, the PBSD procedure has been successfully implemented for two decades. The recent publication of the Guidelines for Performance-Based Seismic Design of Tall Buildings by the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) illustrates the fact that the engineering community has embraced this procedure and provides a thoughtful set of recommendations to building designers who intend to implement PBSD. The key parameters currently required for a PBSD also are outlined, such as seismic hazard definition, modeling procedures, and acceptance criteria. These Guidelines will serve as the basis for many PBSD projects in the coming years and as such are a common reference used throughout this paper. Finally, a brief summation of recent PBSD projects in the United States is presented.