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Published November 16, 2012 | Submitted
Book Section - Chapter Open

Cost-Effectiveness of Stronger Wood-frame Buildings

Abstract

A performance-based earthquake engineering methodology has recently been developed that quantifies building performance in terms of repair costs, life-safety risk, and loss of use ("dollars, deaths, and downtime"). The methodology is used to quantify the economic benefit (avoided future repair costs) of various detailed seismic retrofits, above-code design alternatives, and construction quality levels for several particular, completely designed woodframe buildings. Benefits are quantified assuming each house is located in any of California's 1,653 ZIP Codes. It is found that one example retrofit (costing approximately $1,400) exhibits benefit-cost ratios as high as 7.8, saving the homeowner up to $11,000 in avoided losses if the house were located in the highesthazard area of the state. Four retrofit or redesign measures are cost effective in at least some locations. Higher quality is estimated to save thousands of dollars per house. We conclude that such quantitative benefit data could inform homeowners' decisions about mitigating seismic risk.

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Created:
August 19, 2023
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October 18, 2023