Seismic vulnerability evaluation of educational buildings of Mymensingh city, Bangladesh using rapid visual screening and index based approach
International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment
ISSN: 1759-5908
Article publication date: 1 April 2020
Issue publication date: 27 April 2020
Abstract
Purpose
Seismic vulnerability evaluation of various public structures, especially school buildings, is very crucial for designing hazard mitigation initiatives in seismic prone areas. The city of Mymensingh is at great risk of earthquake because of its geographical location, geological structure and proximity to active faults. The city is famous for its ancient and renowned educational institutes that need to be evaluated for understanding the seismic performance of the building during an earthquake. This study aims to evaluate the seismic vulnerability of educational buildings of Mymensingh city using rapid visual screening (RVS) and index based approach.
Design/methodology/approach
RVS procedure includes field survey and secondary source assessment for evaluating structural vulnerability attributes. Analytical hierarchy process is applied to develop an index focusing on systematic attributes of vulnerability based on expert opinions. Then, a composite vulnerability map is developed combining both structural and systematic vulnerability score providing an equal weight.
Findings
This study evaluates the seismic vulnerability of 458 educational buildings of Mymensingh city and the result shows that 23.14% educational building has high, 46.29% has moderate and 26.86% has moderately low and only 3.71% buildings has the low seismic vulnerability. This study expected to be helpful in resource targeting and prioritizing seismic hazard mitigation activities for education buildings of Mymensingh city.
Originality/value
This study endeavors to present a comprehensive vulnerability assessment method by integrating RVS and index based approach that incorporates both structural and systematic dimensions of vulnerability. The result is expected to be helpful in the formulation of disaster prevention policy for vulnerable educational buildings and development of the earthquake-resistant building codes for the new building construction in Mymensingh city.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors want to acknowledge the Urban Development Directorate (UDD) of the People Republic of Bangladesh for their data support to fulfill this study. Authors also would like to thank Dr. Ishrat Islam, Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka; Dr. Mehedi A. Ansary, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka; Naima Ahmed, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Bangladesh; Prof. Dr. Akter Mahmud, Jahangir agar University, Bangladesh; and Engineer Md. Shohidujjaman Rony, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center for their precious judgment as an expert in this paper.
Md. Shaharier Alam completed his Bachelor degree from Urban and Rural Planning Discipline from Khulna University, Bangladesh and currently working as Assistant Urban Planner in Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, Bangladesh. Dr Shamim Mahabubul Haque is working Professor in Urban and Rural Planning Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh.
Citation
Alam, M.S. and Haque, S.M. (2020), "Seismic vulnerability evaluation of educational buildings of Mymensingh city, Bangladesh using rapid visual screening and index based approach", International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 379-402. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJDRBE-07-2019-0043
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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