Multi-hazard life-cycle performance of tall buildings under seismic and wind loads

Life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) is aimed at predicting monetary losses over the lifetime of a structure. LCCA is a useful design tool for decision makers as it can account for all sources of expense, structural deterioration, uncertainties in load and structural modeling and multiple-hazard occurrence. For tall buildings, sensitive to dynamic excitations like earthquake and wind, it can be particularly suitable to base design decisions not only on initial cost and performance but also on future maintenance and repair expenses. The main goal of this paper is to present a LCCA framework for tall buildings subjected to both seismic and wind excitation. The analysis of intervention costs is harmonized, taking into account the peculiar differences of the two hazards, in terms of type and evolution of damage. Relative effect of the two hazards on the same type of damage is also examined.