The dynamic analysis of an apartment building

The normal-mode, response-spectra approach to the design of earthquake resistant structures forms the background to many design codes including the New Zealand one.

In order to apply these codes, and thus establish the seismic design loads, predictions of the elastic dynamic characteristics of a building must be made as part of the design process.

This paper describes the analysis undertaken using an electronic digital computer for the purpose of predicting the dynamic characteristics of one of New Zealand's tallest apartment buildings, the sixteen story Jerningham Apartments in Oriental Bay, Wellington.