Code-based earthquake engineering is on the verge of getting simpler, thanks to the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program’s recommendation to replace the traditional seismic hazard maps with an improved seismic hazards database. The recommendation is one of the most significant changes put forth in the 2020 update of the NEHRP seismic design provisions, which are the foundation for the prescriptive seismic design code for buildings and other structures.
Using the database, engineers would only need to know the site’s soil type and the latitude and longitude of a project to get the desired design spectrum for a particular project. Currently, they have to do site-specific work to get that information, says David Bonneville, a senior principal with Degenkolb Engineers and the chair of the provisions update committee that produced the 872-page tome "2020 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures."