Seismic performance evaluation and SWOT analysis of retrofitted reinforced concrete building

The Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia was previously considered seismically inactive, but the recent earthquake in the Jeddah region has raised concerns. Therefore, the safety of the holy cities (Madinah and Makkah) must incorporate seismic effects in design. This research focuses on the performance of multi-story office buildings under lateral loads in the Madinah region. Furthermore, the SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities, threats) analysis has been carried out to pinpoint the detailed scenario of the retrofitting ideology. The study showed that retrofitting systems can highly increase the lateral strength of the existing structures. It has been proved that a non-earthquake-resistant building can be transferred to an earthquake-resistant facility by following solutions with a level arrangement. The mechanism appears to increase the lateral strength resistance of the seismically vulnerable building. The bracing system exhibits the highest increase in strength. Such retrofitting approaches demonstrate their potential to be applied to vulnerable structures.