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 BrzevDepartment of Civil Engineering

British 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

6

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, Chile

M 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 connections

Code 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.org12

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