RETROFITTING FOR RESILIENCE: SEISMIC REHABILITATION AND LIFE CYCLE COST ANALYSIS OF A REINFORCED CONCRETE SCHOOL IN NICOSIA AFTER THE 2023 TURKEY EARTHQUAKES

Year 2025, Volume: 13 Issue: 4, 1232 - 1251, 01.12.2025

Sasan Babaei , Fooad Karimi Ghaleh Jough

https://doi.org/10.36306/konjes.1626828

Abstract

In 2023, Turkey was hit by a devastating doublet of earthquakes, measuring 7.7 and 7.6 in magnitude, resulting in widespread destruction of residential and public infrastructure. In the aftermath, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus initiated a project aimed at rehabilitating educational facilities. This paper investigates the rehabilitation efforts carried out at Atatürk Technical High School in Nicosia. To assess the building's seismic resilience, a nonlinear time-history analysis was performed using 11 mainshock-aftershock sequences to evaluate its lateral load resistance and potential plastic deformations. As part of the rehabilitation, shear walls and steel X-braced frames were added to the lateral load-resisting system, with their effectiveness being examined. Post-retrofit results demonstrate substantial improvements: maximum roof displacement and drift ratios decreased by 70 to more than 90% for different blocks and directions, and plastic hinge formation shifted predominantly to the Immediate Occupancy state. Although added stiffness led to moderate increases in floor acceleration, the retrofit strategy dramatically reduced human-related losses, with fatality costs decreasing by over 90%. The rehabilitation cost of all blocks was investigated and found to be less than 15% of rebuilding costs. While non-structural and downtime-related losses increased, overall safety- related economic outcomes were significantly enhanced.

Keywords

Case Study , Seismic Rehabilitation , School Building , Performance-based Design , Life Cycle Cost Analysis

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