Evaluation of performance of Taiwan housing stock and schools during the Mw6.4 Kaohsiung/Meinong Earthquake of February 6, 2016

The recent Kaohsiung Meinong Earthquake which occurred on February 6, 2016 affected several categories of building stock for which risk identification programs were previously developed by NCREE.

A typical building type in the city of Tainan is a mixed-use three-to-five-story structure. The ground floor of this typical structure is an open-front commercial or manufacturing space, which is laterally a soft story. The upper floors are residential and extend over a covered sidewalk, with column supports at the front of the building. NCREE has an established “street house” program which provides criteria for homeowners to evaluate and retrofit these structures. This program is discussed below, as well as damage and structural deficiencies related to this type of structure that were observed during a field reconnaissance trip following the Meinong Earthquake.

An active evaluation and retrofit program is in place for school buildings in Taiwan. This program identifies buildings with seismic deficiencies and determines whether or not a retrofit is warranted. The program and retrofit strategies are discussed, as well as the performance of schools with and without retrofit during the Meinong Earthquake.