ASTM E2026-16a Standard – Seismic Risk Assessment of Buildings

The ASTM E2026-16a Standard Guide for Seismic Risk Assessment of Buildings is a Standard Guide published by ASTM International. It provides guidance for conducting seismic risk assessments, defines common terminology used in assessments, and identifies levels of assessment which allows clients and consultants to effectively communicate objectives and scopes of work. Unlike the ASTM E2557 Standard Practice for Probable Maximum Loss (PML) Evaluations for Earthquake Due Diligence Assessments, E2026 can be used to describe detailed seismic studies far beyond the estimation of building damage.  The previous standard known as ASTM E2026-07 was updated and published as ASTM E2026-16a in June 2016.
The Guide describes at least three levels of assessment for the evaluation of:
•    Seismic Ground Motion
•    Site Stability
•    Building Stability
•    Building Damageability
•    Building Content Damageability, and
•    Business Interruption
Level 0 assessments are typically used to screen for specific risks, whiles Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 assessments provide increasingly detailed review, study and design evaluation. As a Guide, E2026 provides a discussion of approaches to seismic risk assessment, but does not identify or recommend a specific procedure for the work. The ASTM E2557 practice for Probable Maximum Loss/Seismic Risk Assessments incorporates elements of E2026 to describe a more specific process for the evaluation of the earthquake damageability.