Correlation of damage and analysis of R/C building: Experience from the 1995 Kobe earthquake

During the 1995 Hyogoken-Nanbu Earthquake, a reinforced concrete building, called Jeunesse Rokko, suffered intermediate damage by forming a beam-yielding tweak-beam strong-column) mechanism, which has been regarded as the most desirable earthquake resisting mechanism throughout the world. High cost to repair damage at many beam ends and poor appearance expected after the repair work made the owner decide to tear down the building. Nonlinear earthquake response analyses were conducted to simulate the behavior of the building during the earthquake. The influence of nonstructural members was considered in the analysis. The calculated results were compared with the observed damage, especially the location of yield hinges and compression failure of spandrel beams, and the degree of cracking in columns and in column-girder connections.