Dr. Svetlana Brzev University of British Columbia 

Special Session on Retrofit of Special Session on Retrofit of Masonry StructuresMasonry Structures

Confined Masonry: Seismic Confined Masonry: Seismic Retrofitting and New Construction Retrofitting and New Construction

of School Buildings of School Buildings Dr. Svetlana Brzev

Department of Civil EngineeringBritish Columbia Institute of Technology

Vancouver, Canada

Prof. Roberto MeliInstituto de Ingeneria, UNAM, Mexico

Confined Masonry: BeginningsConfined Masonry: Beginnings Evolved though an informal process based on its

satisfactory performance in past earthquakes

The first reported use in the reconstruction after the 1908

Messina, Italy earthquake (M 7.2) - death toll 70,000

Practiced in Chile and Columbia since 1930’s and in Mexico

since 1940’s

Currently practiced in several countries/regions with high seismic risk, including Latin America, Mediterranean Europe, Middle East (Iran), South Asia (Indonesia), and the Far East (China).

Components of a Confined Masonry Components of a Confined Masonry BuildingBuilding

Confined Masonry and School Confined Masonry and School BuildingsBuildings

Suitable for low-rise buildings (most school buildings in Iran single-storey buildings)

Suitable for building plans with smaller room sizes (4-6 m) – schools in rural areas and smaller towns

Construction does not need advanced construction skills - it is expected that construction skills in rural areas are limited

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Confined Masonry Construction: Confined Masonry Construction: Performance in Recent EarthquakesPerformance in Recent Earthquakes

January 2010, January 2010, Haiti Haiti M 7.0M 7.0

300,000 deaths300,000 deaths

February 2010, ChileFebruary 2010, ChileM 8.8 521 deaths M 8.8 521 deaths (10 due to confined (10 due to confined

masonry construction)masonry construction)

Performance of Confined Performance of Confined Masonry in Iranian EarthquakesMasonry in Iranian Earthquakes

Source: URM Buildings and Earthquake, State Organization of Schools Renovation, Development and

Mobilization, Iran, 2009

Performance of Confined Masonry in Performance of Confined Masonry in Iranian Earthquakes - ObservationsIranian Earthquakes - Observations

Key deficiencies:Poor quality of construction (especially concrete) Inadequate detailing of RC confining elements

and their connectionsCode provisions not followed Inadequate construction supervision ? Inadequate construction skills?

School Retrofit and School Retrofit and Reconstruction Project, Iran: Reconstruction Project, Iran:

NeedsNeedsA significant effort (250,000 classrooms)90% schools of masonry construction70% schools are of non-engineered

unreinforced masonry constructionConstruction quality for some (many?)

schools likely an issueViability of retrofit is questionable in

such instances

Confined Masonry for Iranian Confined Masonry for Iranian SchoolsSchools

An opportunity to provide enhanced seismic safety for new school buildings

It is also possible to retrofit the existing confined masonry school buildings, provided that the construction quality is acceptable – otherwise reconstruction is preferred

A project of the Confined Masonry Network Developed by an international expert group under the auspices

of Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) and International Association of Earthquake Engineering (IAEE)

Recommendations based on experience from countries and regions where confined masonry construction has been practiced for many decades, including Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Iran, Indonesia, China, Algeria and Slovenia.

Global Resources Now Available:Global Resources Now Available:Seismic Design Guide for Seismic Design Guide for

Confined Masonry BuildingsConfined Masonry Buildings

Seismic Design Guide for Low-Rise Masonry Buildings available online at www.confinedmasonry.org

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Upcoming EventsUpcoming Events

12th Canadian masonry Symposium, Vancouver, Canada, June 2-5,

2013

www.cms2013.ca

9th International Masonry Conference, 2014, Guimaraes, Portugal

www.9imc.uminho.pt

North American Masonry Conference, 2015, Denver, USA

International Brick/Block Masonry Conference, 2016, Padua, Italy

AcknowledgmentsAcknowledgments

Tim Hart, USA;

Ahmed Mebarki, France;

A.S. Moghadam, Iran;

Daniel Quiun, Peru;

Miha Tomazevic,

Slovenia;

Luis Yamin, Colombia.

Maximiliano Astroza, Chile;

Teddy Boen, Indonesia;

Francisco Crisafulli,

Argentina;

Junwu Dai, China;

Mohammed Farsi, Algeria;

Co-authors of the

Guide:

The sponsors:Haiti eq photo: Ben Benjamin, WSB, Vancouver