Seismic performance assessment and retrofitting proposal for a historic masonry school building (Bursa, Türkiye)

The current paper presents all stages of a masonry building restoration including seismic performance assessment of the restored building, and a seismic retrofitting proposal accordingly. All these practices were carried out on a historical school building with timber slabs constructed in 1912. The study was composed of six stages: i. Historical research to identify all previous interventions in the building, ii. On-site examinations to determine the geometrical and structural properties of the building, iii. Laboratory tests to identify original material properties and determine repair materials, iv. Restoration decision and implementation of the restoration, v. Numerical analyses to assess the seismic performance of the restored building, and vi. Retrofitting proposal. The primary aim of this study is to present a comprehensive guide for seismic performance assessment and retrofitting approaches for similar buildings. The story shear forces and inter-story drifts of the examined building were obtained by linear and nonlinear analyses and compared with the limit values given in the applicable seismic code; accordingly, the seismic performance of the building was assessed. On the other hand, vertical and lateral bending collapse mechanisms were determined by local analyses. Based on the obtained findings, the building was found to have sufficient displacement capacity; however, failed in shear. Additionally, we believe that the presented restoration practices and seismic performance assessment aiming the structural integrity of the historic building will contribute to the literature. •A comprehensive restoration methodology for a historic masonry building constructed in 1912 was presented.•Laboratory analyses, numerical simulation, restoration work, and retrofitting proposal are presented.•A retrofitting proposal is presented based on seismic performance assessment results.•A need for retrofitting is determined by numerical analyses.