Study on Seismic Performance of Historic Wooden Buildings in a Japanese Preservation District

In Japan, there are many preservation districts where historic wooden buildings are located close together. Ensuring the seismic resilience of historic wooden buildings in such districts is essential to their preservation. The aim of this study was to clarify the structural characteristics and required seismic performance of historic wooden buildings in the Shikoku preservation district, for an anticipated Nankai Earthquake, based on site investigation and structural analysis. The first part of this paper is devoted to the preservation system for such districts, which is based on the Building Standards Law and Cultural Properties Protection Law in Japan. The second part deals with a case study of the Shikoku preservation district. The structural characteristics of the historic wooden buildings in the district are clarified and the results of the structural analysis are presented. As a result of the site study, the required seismic adjustments for historic wooden houses in Shikoku to withstand an anticipated Nankai Earthquake are also shown.

Keywords:

Preservation District for Historic Buildings , Equivalent-Performance Response Spectra , Seismic Performance , Nankai Earthquake