Preliminary results and conclusions from the PRESSS five-story precast concrete test building

A large-scale five-story precast concrete building constructed to 60 percent scale was tested under simulated seismic loading as the culmination of the 10-year PRESSS (Precast Seismic Structural Systems) research program. The building comprised four different ductile structural frame systems in one direction of response and a jointed structural wall system in the orthogonal direction. The test structure was subjected to seismic input levels equivalent to at least 50 percent higher than those required for UBC (Uniform Building Code) Seismic Zone 4. The behavior of the structure was extremely satisfactory, with only minimal damage in the shear wall direction, and no significant strength loss in the frame direction, despite being taken to drift levels up to 4.5 percent, more than 100 percent higher than the design drift level. The test validated the Displacement-Based Design (DBD) approach used to determine the required strength and confirmed the low damage and low residual drift expected of the building.