Probable Maximum Loss assessments (PMLs) are utilized by property owners, investors, lenders, and others to understand and control seismic-related risks. Seismic risk assessments evaluate how a property would fare in an earthquake. Not all clients view risks the same way, which means that the evaluation of earthquake risks takes on different forms for different clients. 

In this blog, we’ll delve a little more into earthquake assessments of buildings and facilities in order to achieve client-desired levels of performance. 

How Do Earthquakes Affect Buildings?

Beyond death and injury, earthquakes can result in damage to buildings, loss of inventory, disrupted operations and cash flow, interruption of utility and public services, and more. Ground shaking is the primary cause of earthquake damage, particularly in relation to unrestrained or inadequately braced non-structural systems. The strength of earthquake shaking depends on the earthquake’s magnitude, the property’s proximity to the fault, the local geology, the soil type, and more.

Current building codes are prescriptive, intended to produce buildings that meet a life-safety level of protection at a specified level of ground shaking. During these design-level earthquakes, code-designed buildings can achieve the intended goal of preventing loss of life or life-threatening injury, but could sustain extensive structural and nonstructural damage and be out of service for extended periods of time. In some cases, the damage may be too costly to repair, leaving demolition as the only option.

Because there is no way to predict earthquakes with certainty, the goal of seismic assessments is to create probable loss estimates, hence why they are called Probable Maximum Loss reports, instead of maximum loss reports. These enable people to understand the probable losses properties may face and what actions can be taken to mitigate them.

About Earthquake Assessments of Buildings and Facilities

Seismic risk assessments evaluate buildings as they exist currently and estimate potential earthquake losses for several different earthquake levels and different performance levels. These levels vary, and may focus on areas like collapse prevention, life safety, and immediate occupancy. 

VIE estimates the current expected performance of facilities for the earthquake levels we are studying it for. From there, our engineers estimate what it would take to elevate that to what the facility owner would like to achieve. These earthquake levels are identified in ASCE 41, and the performance goals are identified by the client. 

Different clients may have different performance goals, like life safety over collapse prevention. Some clients may worry more about business interruption and continuous operation of facilities after an earthquake while others may prioritize life safety over collapse prevention.

Earthquake risk assessments evaluate approaches, cost estimates, and procedures needed to achieve those goals. For example, your building for lower level earthquakes may fall down, but you want to achieve collapse prevention. 

In earthquake assessments, our engineers look at buildings as they are now, estimate, and evaluate if they will achieve the client-specific goals already or what it would take to achieve desired levels of performance. VIE works with each client to understand their specific desired levels of performance and perceived risks.

Determining When Seismic Risk Assessments Are Necessary

Not all properties require seismic risk assessments. To determine if a seismic risk assessment is necessary, two main screening criteria are utilized: seismic zones and peak ground acceleration.

If a property is located in seismic zones 3 or 4, defined by the Seismic Zone Map in the ASTM, a seismic risk assessment is likely necessary. Now, Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) is a commonly used screening tool. Properties can be brought up to better standards and work can be done to resolve stability issues, like seismic reinforcement. 

Do You Need Earthquake Assessments of Buildings and Facilities?

VIE has over 40 years of experience in providing clients across the United States with seismic engineering services. VIE has performed these analyses using numerous techniques, such as expert database methods (as in ATC 13 and Thiel/Zsutty) and more detailed methods, such as those in ASCE 41 and FEMA P-58. Our engineers have also developed customized seismic risk assessment methods, which have been utilized in client-specific evaluations. VIE has performed private and government sector seismic evaluations, conforming to project-specific criteria. 

To learn more about our seismic assessment services and other engineering services we provide, contact us today. We look forward to hearing from you.

As artificial intelligence continues to revolutionize industries, the infrastructure supporting it must evolve too. The electricity demand from AI data centers makes up 24% of the entire server electricity demand. As such, the seismic bracing design needs for data centers for AI vary somewhat from traditional data centers, as they are more complicated, there are more of them, and such projects are typically fast-tracked. 

In this blog, we will discuss the difference between seismic bracing design for traditional data centers and data centers for AI, with emphasis on AI data center needs.

The Difference Between Traditional Data Centers And Data Centers For AI

In practice, an AI data center isn’t fundamentally different from traditional data centers. However, they must be able to support AI workloads. 

AI models process massive datasets and complex calculations. While standard servers primarily use Central Processing Units (CPUs), AI relies on specialized hardware, like Graphic Processing Units (GPUs). This hardware generates more heat and consumes more energy than traditional services, and also places greater demands on data exchange between systems. 

Traditional data centers are built more like server warehouses while data centers for AI are tailored to the unique demands of artificial intelligence, with ultra-high-density computing, low-latency networking, and mission-critical uptime. Data centers for AI maximize output per square foot, achieving higher performance density than traditional data centers. 

Both traditional data centers and data centers for AI consume significant power, but AI data centers utilize more of it. As such, the primary difference between seismic bracing design for traditional data centers and data centers for AI is that for the AI data centers, the bracing needs are more complicated with more of them. 

Additionally, AI data centers tend to be fast-tracked projects.

The Importance Of Seismic Bracing For Data Centers

Data centers in general must be continuously operational during and after natural hazards. Seismic bracing design safeguards security and operations to better enable service reliability even in a seismic event. Most damage from earthquakes comes not from the ground-shaking itself, but from the damage wrought by unrestrained non-structural systems, such as mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, as well as computer systems.

With appropriate seismic bracing, systems and equipment are secured, safeguarding them against extensive damage, which enables systems to remain operational, downtime to be decreased, and a more straightforward restoration of services after a disaster. 

About Seismic Bracing Designs For AI Data Centers

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into the digital economy, AI data centers are engineered from the ground up with intelligent systems to optimize energy distribution and computing loads. AI workloads consume more power per rack than traditional IT environments. Smart energy management systems allocate resources to prevent overloads. 

AI data centers’ high-density, higher-powered equipment and more intense cooling demands necessitate more complex seismic bracing designs. These designs require greater emphasis on managing these specific loads and integrating with the unique electrical and mechanical systems associated with AI workloads.

The power demands for AI data centers are much more than a typical data center. They necessitate much more electrical systems, suspended systems, and other such systems that require seismic bracing design. The density and quality of these projects is more intense in regards to seismic bracing design for other facilities and structures in general. AI systems are often designed to a higher standard of 1.5, defined in building code as essential facilities.

Seismic bracing design compared to traditional data centers is denser, more complicated, and with more communication required. There are tremendous amounts of power for computers, cooling systems, and everything for AI. This complicates seismic bracing design, equipment anchorage design, and beyond. 

Expert Seismic Bracing Design Services In The United States

VIE’s extensive experience designing seismic bracing for data centers and AI data centers enable our engineers to provide clients with top-tier service. VIE can provide certified engineering drawings and calculations in all Western and Midwestern states with seismic design criteria. Our engineers work with building structure design teams for data centers in order to coordinate seismic design measures that conform to project-specific specifications and requirements.

VIE is very responsive to owner requests and regularly provides on-site reviews to determine specific custom designs that are necessary to meet specific loads and energy specifications, like seismic, wind, and more.

Contact us today to learn more about our seismic bracing design services, our experience designing seismic bracing for traditional data centers and data centers for AI alike, or other structural engineering needs you may have. We look forward to hearing from you.