Abstract
This paper presents an application procedure of the up-to-date knowledge obtained in the related academic fields, particularly seismological models for the estimation of earthquake occurrence probabilities and strong ground motions, to seismic risk management of buildings in seismically active regions. As an example, a wooden single house in Miyagi prefecture is dealt with. This house is exposed to intensive seismic hazards since it is located near the seismic source of the Miyagi-ken-oki Earthquake (Mw=7.5), which was forecasted to occur in 99% probability within the next 30 years. Preparing for such earthquakes, the house is base-isolated. In order to examine the effectiveness of the base-isolation system, the life-cycle costs of two design alternatives, one is the base-fixed house and the other is base-isolated one, are compared. They are computed by utilizing the advanced seismological models developed by the Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion. The analysis demonstrates that the initial investment in the base-isolation system reduces the life-cycle cost imposed on the owner of the house.
