Seismic performance evaluation of the Central Laboratory Universitas Andalas building with expansion joints

¹ Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Andalas, Indonesia
² Graduate School of Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan

^* Corresponding author: fauzan@eng.unand.ac.id

Abstract

The laboratory supports students’ education and provides space for practice and research. One of the laboratories is the Central Laboratory Building of Universitas Andalas, located in Padang City, which has building expansion joints. Since Padang City is an earthquake-prone area, the planning of laboratory buildings must consider earthquake safety. An expansion joint is needed to ensure earthquake safety as a boundary for building structures. It is designed so that if a major earthquake occurs, the buildings are planned not to be damaged due to pounding so that potential losses can be minimized. This study evaluates the seismic performance of buildings with expansion joints based on the current Indonesian seismic codes. The study results show that the maximum displacement of the buildings (zones A, B, C, and D) does not exceed the distance between expansion joints. It prevents contact between them (pounding) during any seismic event, allowing the building to be declared safe during an earthquake. Additionally, the seismic performance of buildings complies with current Indonesian earthquake regulations, specifically regarding dynamic characteristics, inter-story drift, horizontal irregularity, and vertical irregularity.