Assessment of Seismic Vulnerability of Building Using Rapid Visual Screening Method: A Case Study in a Ward of Chattogram City Corporation

Seismic vulnerability assessment of existing building is essential to evaluate the expected damage from the earthquake for saving the human from injury and death. The Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) method is an effective tool for evaluating buildings' structural integrity and assessing their capacity to withstand earthquakes. In this study, existing structures from Ward No. 10 of North Kattali, Chattogram City Corporation are evaluated using Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) P 154 (Level I). The seismic vulnerability levels are categorized based on corresponding RVS performance score depending on structural type, vertical irregularity, plan irregularity, pre-code & post benchmark, soil type. RVS sheets are used for calculating the structural scores. The buildings under the cut-off score of '2', as outlined by FEMA P 154, are categorized as being susceptible to seismic vulnerabilities. Using random sample survey, 125 buildings are considered for vulnerability assessment. The entire surveyed region is split into five sections Area 1, Area 2, Area 3, Area 4, Area 5 based on construction period to determine which area is most susceptible to earthquakes. This study observed, ‘Area 5’ is the most vulnerable which cut-off score below 2, and consisting of approximately 48% of the total sampled buildings. The method used in the research is helpful in identifying the parts of a city that are more vulnerable. The research provides authorities with a quantitative tool to determine the improvement work of buildings for seismic vulnerability performance.