Design of non-structural elements for buildings: A review of codal provisions

Non-structural elements of a building are not a part of the main load-resisting system. Therefore, these are often neglected from the structural design point of view. Performance in the past earthquake clearly pointed out that in view of the absence or inadequacy of design provisions for non-structural elements and their attachments it has resulted in poor performance of several life line buildings. In India too, non-structural damages are often observed in the earthquakes but are overlooked owing to the obvious attention to the huge loss of human lives and structural damage. Moreover, provisions relating to nonstructural element in Indian seismic codes (IS 1893) are inadequate or practically non-existent. This paper reviews the design philosophy and design provisions of several international seismic codes, and compares design lateral forces recommended in these codes.