Evaluation of Retrofit Interventions in Terms of Seismic Resistance

Işık University, Istanbul, Türkiye

 Abstract: Historical buildings are being abandoned in many parts of the world in order to meet modern requirements, and these neglected structures negatively affect the urban texture, economy, and social structure of urban area. There is a growing trend towards repurposing historical buildings, which play a crucial role in transferring cultural heritage to future generations. These interventions sometimes involve minor enhancements such as strengthening the structure. However, they sometimes include extensive measures such as adding modern equipment or changing the function of the building. These different scaled interventions influence the building's resistance and can sometimes reduce the earthquake resistance of the building in earthquake prone regions. However, the standards which are used to determine the earthquake resistance of buildings are often based on modern construction techniques. Therefore, it is usually difficult to evaluate the earthquake resistance of historical buildings constructed by using traditional methods. These interventions sometimes negatively affect the historical character of the building as well. In order to preserve the historical and urban texture of cities it is crucial to prevent excessive interventions and to carry out these interventions in a controlled manner. This study evaluates the preservation and improvement interventions which are carried out in earthquake-prone regions.