Primer for Design Professionals

Seismic risk management tools, including new seismic engineering technology and data, are now available to assist with evaluating, predicting, and controlling financial and personal-injury losses from future damaging earthquakes. These tools have evolved as a result of scientific and engineering breakthroughs, including new earth-science knowledge about the occurrence and severity of earthquake shaking, and new engineering techniques for designing building systems and components to withstand the effects of earthquakes. As a result, design and construction professionals can now design and construct new buildings with more predictable seismic performance than ever before. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has commissioned and funded the development of this document to facilitate the process of educating building owners and managers about seismic risk management tools that can be effectively and economically employed by them during the building development phase - from site selection through design and construction - as well as the operational phase. This document also recognizes that seismic design professionals (architects and engineers) throughout the United States have varying levels of technical knowledge and experience pertaining to the seismic design of buildings. In areas of moderate and high seismicity, the knowledge and experience is substantially greater than in areas of low seismicity. The intended audience for this document consists of those design professionals (architects and engineers) who typically work with building owners and managers in developing new building projects. FEMA 389. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency.