Vulnerabilidad sísmica del edificio principal del hospital Eugenio Espejo

Abstract

The Eugenio Espejo hospital of specialties is a facility of great importance for the Ecuadorian society due to its crucial role before, during and after a seismic event. Based on the aforementioned, it becomes highly necessary to conduct a study of structural vulnerability. In order to conduct the seismic vulnerability evaluation of the Eugenio Espejo hospital main building, a design review of the different structural elements such as beams, columns, and beam-column connection was carried out. Additionally, the influence of the masonry on the behavior of the structure under lateral loads was evaluated in order to identify the presence of harmful configurations such as soft story and short columns that make the structural safety of the hospital critical in the presence of a severe seismic event. Regarding the calculation of lateral forces, the Ecuadorian Code of Construction, CPE INEN 5 2011, was used. The hospital safety index was also determined following the methodology described in the document "Hospital Safety Index: Guide for the Evaluator of Safe Hospitals" developed by the Pan American Health Organization - PAHO. It is recommended to study the best option to stiffen the structure taking into account that the different services provided by the hospital cannot be affected.