Implementation and Validation of the Simple Lateral Mechanism Analysis (SLaMA) for the Seismic Performance Assessment of a Damaged Case Study Building

The new guidelines for the seismic assessment of existing buildings recently introduced by the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE) recommend the Simple Lateral Mechanism Analysis (SLaMA) as an “analytical” first phase of any other numerically-based analysis. This article illustrates the development of the SLaMA method and its validation with reference to an existing RC building severely damaged during the Christchurch earthquake (2011). The capacity of the lateral resisting systems is assessed from component/subassembly to system level. The comparison of the results with observed damage and with the outcomes of refined numerical analyses confirms the effectiveness of this method.