High Seismic Economic Risk Buildings: Recognizing a Potential Problem

The objective of this paper is to present an overview of buildings in California that may pose a high earthquake economic risk, beyond the issue of life safety. To help recognize this potential problem, four prototypes of high economic risk buildings were developed based on the damage statistics of public buildings from the Loma Prieta Earthquake and the building code history of the western United States. These prototypes are illustrated herein. The greatest sources of economic loss due to earthquakes appear to be historic buildings built before 1937 and concrete multi-story buildings built before 1961. The potential loss from these building types raises a number of significant implications for other regions of the United States.