The Mexico Earthquake of September 19, 1985—Performance of Low-Rise Buildings in Mexico City

Abstract

This paper summarizes the results of analytical studies conducted to understand the observed performance of low-rise buildings located in the soft-soil zone of Mexico City during the 1985 Michoacan earthquake. Two low-rise reinforced concrete moment resistant space frames were designed in accordance with the 1976 Code for the Federal District of Mexico. They were subjected to a series of static and time history dynamic analyses. The results indicate that the designed buildings have significantly larger lateral strengths than required by the Code and that these overstrengths were the main reason for the excellent performance of most of the low-rise buildings in Mexico City during the 1985 Michoacan earthquake.