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The NEHRP Recommended Provisions for Seismic Regulations for New Buildings and Other Structures (referred to hereinafter as the Provisions) present criteria for the design and construction of structures to resist earthquake ground motions. The purposes of these Provisions are as follows:
- To provide minimum design criteria for structures appropriate to their primary function and
use considering the need to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the general public by
minimizing the earthquake-related risk to life and - To improve the capability of essential facilities and structures containing substantial
quantities of hazardous materials to function during and after design earthquakes.
The design earthquake ground motion levels specified herein could result in both structural and nonstructural damage. For most structures designed and constructed according to these Provisions, structural damage from the design earthquake ground motion would be repairable although perhaps not economically so. For essential facilities, it is expected that the damage from the design earthquake ground motion would not be so severe as to preclude continued occupancy and function of the facility. The actual ability to accomplish these goals depends upon a number of factors including the structural framing type, configuration, materials, and as-built details of construction. For ground motions larger than the design levels, the intent of these Provisions is that there be a low likelihood of structural collapse.