Comparison between Contemporary Architectural Form in Cities with High versus Low Seismicity

This study investigates whether seismic design constraints reduce the architectural interest of buildings in areas subject to high rather than low seismicity. Sixty-three of the most architecturally interesting low-rise buildings from 20 cities, half of which are located in high-seismicity zones, were assessed aesthetically and analyzed structurally. On average, each group of buildings was found to possess the same level of architectural interest and degree of configuration irregularity. Reinforced concrete shear walls were found to be the predominant lateral force resisting system. A concentration of building types in the low-seismicity set of buildings that used structural walls for physical security and other purposes led to the unexpected result of those buildings possessing significantly greater structural footprints than buildings from high-seismicity areas. This finding serves as a reminder that structural elements play far more roles in architecture than merely resisting lateral forces.