Performance-based versus conventional seismic design: comparative assessment on a 4-story RC moment frame

Five different design approaches are compared on a single mid-rise reinforced concrete building, pitting two performance-based designs against three conventional methods in delivering a solution that satisfies different sets of performance objectives. Two of the conventional designs stem from the literature, and they represent 2003 IBC compatible solutions. Another employs the yield point spectra to deliver a code-like solution, satisfying the design norms without needing iterations. The final two are based on the yield frequency spectra to offer a design that can satisfy more detailed performance objectives in a single step. Overall, all five methods are shown to deliver what is expected. Conventional methods can safely capture the code requirements, yet they are disadvantaged when treading in beyond-life-safety territory, where Immediate Occupancy or Collapse Prevention objectives cannot be easily satisfied, a problem that is not shared by performance-based approaches.