Effect of seismic base isolation usage on the architectural design

Seismic isolation technology is one of the novel developments in the construction technology to increase the earthquake resistance of structural systems. This thesis includes the application of the seismic isolation technique on reinforced concrete and historical masonry systems for which the seismic isolation technique is most widely used.In this study, an irregular reinforced concrete structure with an L plan shape which includes all the irregularities in the plane and vertical defined in the Turkish Earthquake Code 2007 is modeled for three different base conditions. These base conditions are the fixed base and seismically isolated bases with lead rubber bearing and high damping rubber bearing. Besides these models, a regular structure is also considered in this study which excludes all the irregularities except the A3 irregularity defined in the Turkish Earthquake Code 2007. For the reinforced concrete system, time history analysis is performed by considering the Erzincan earthquake in 1992 with a maximum acceleration of 0.52g. Structural periods and seismic responses obtained from these analyses are compared with each other for the considered models.In this analysis historical masonry systems are also considered for the application of the base isolation systems. As a historical masonry system, Sehzade Mehmet Mosque which is considered as the apprenticeship of Mimar Sinan is modeled by SAP2000 structural analysis program. This masonry system is investigated for fixed base and seismically isolated bases with lead rubber bearing and high damping rubber bearing. Dynamic analyses of these systems are performed with the response spectrum method and the resulting structural responses are compared with each other.Results obtained from the study show that seismic base isolation technique applied at the reinforced concrete and historical masonry systems improve the dynamic behavior of these systems. Although the seismic base isolation technique provides freedom in design, this outcome should not direct the architects to irregular structures. It is also possible to strengthen the historical systems without damaging the original historical texture with seismic base isolation technique.Key Words: Structure and construction technology, seismic isolation