SEISMIC DESIGN CRITERIA FOR MULTISTORY PRECAST PRESTRESSED BUILDINGS.

The purpose of the paper is to explain current seismic design criteria while at the same time providing some physical insight into the actual behavior of a structure subject to an earthquake; and to show how the seismic code provisions can be applied to the design and analysis of a multistory precast prestressed building. Some background to seismic design is presented by comparing code provisions with the demands made on buildings when subjected to actual earthquakes.