Seismic Evaluation of the Main Building at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico
Zusammenfassung
The Main Building at the Polytechnic
University of Puerto Rico was originally built in
1933 to house the Hato Rey Psychiatric Hospital. It
was acquired by the Institution in 1986 and since, it
has been the Universities’ most iconic landmark. As
a national historic building, it must be preserved.
One of the most critical analyses of historical
buildings is their seismic adequacy. This report will
perform a seismic analysis based on the Life Safety
performance level. Site investigations and
documents review showed that the building
possesses a lateral force resisting system comprised
of shear walls in both directions with rigid floor
diaphragms. As a result, the building provides a Life
Safety Basic Configuration performance level of
88%, a Life Safety Structural performance level of
75% and a Non-Structural performance level of
17%. This report should be the starting point for a
decision making process that supports a more
detailed analysis to improve these performance
levels.
Key Terms - ASCE 41-13, Clínica Juliá,
Existing Building, Life Safety Performance.