Reinforced concrete (RC) type of buildings
constitutes an important part of the current building stock
in earthquake prone countries such as Albania. Seismic
response of structures during a severe earthquake plays a
vital role in the extent of structural damage and resulting
injuries and losses. In this context, this study evaluates the
expected performance of a five-story RC healthcare facility,
representative of common practice in Albania,
designed according to older codes. The design was based
on the code requirements used in this region during the
mid-1980s. Non-linear static and dynamic time history
analyses were conducted on the structural model using the
Zeus NL computer program. The dynamic time history
analysis was conducted with a set of ground motions from
real earthquakes. The building responses were estimated in
global levels. FEMA 356 criteria were used to predict the
seismic performance of the building. The structural
response measures such as capacity curve and inter-story
drift under the set of ground motions and pushover analyses
results were compared and detailed seismic performance
assessment was done. The main aim of this study is
considering the application and methodology for the
earthquake performance assessment of existing buildings.
The seismic performance of the structural model varied
significantly under different ground motions. Results indicate
that case study building exhibit inadequate seismic
performance under different seismic excitations. In addition,
reasons for the poor performance of the building is
discussed.