Performance-Based Engineering of Wood Frame Housing: Fragility Analysis Methodology

Recent trends in building construction have highlighted the need for improved methodologies for engineering new light-frame structures for housing and techniques for condition assessment of existing structures. The aftermath of natural disasters during the past decade, the rapid evolution of design and construction methods, and heightened expectations on the part of the public and its scrutiny of perceived and actual deficiencies in codes and code enforcement have further underscored these needs. Among the high-priority areas identified at a 1997 ASCE workshop on wood engineering research needs were behavior and performance of wood structural systems; criteria for performance assessment; and methods for condition assessment of damaged systems following natural disasters. The development of appropriate and usable fragility models and system reliability analysis tools is necessary to meet these needs and to make meaningful advances in performance-based engineering of wood frame structures. This paper provides an overview of efforts to develop such models and tools, and suggests a possible methodology for assessing probable response of light-frame residential construction exposed to various levels of natural and man-made hazards. The implementation of performance-based engineering for residential construction will enhance durability and reduce maintenance costs of the nation’s housing inventory, and will facilitate reductions in risk of death, injury, and property damage from extreme natural hazards such as earthquakes and hurricanes.