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Seismic screening software is developed for existing buildings in Canada on the basis of the requirements of 2010 National Building Code of Canada. The software is based on the 'Manual for Screening of Buildings for Seismic Investigation,' published by the National Research Council of Canada in 1992. The new software incorporates updated seismicity and soil classifications used in the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) since 2005, as well as the new ductility and over-strength factors specified in the 2010 NBCC. The uniform hazard spectrum values of the current Canadian seismicity, defined for each municipality in Canada with a 2500 year earthquake return period, are used as reference hazard values. Seismic risk associated with the use of older seismic hazard values specified in older editions of the NBCC is identified relative to the current reference seismicity. The new site classifications are incorporated, while establishing relative soil amplification values between the new acceleration-based and velocity-based soil amplification factors and the foundation factors used in older codes. The new ductility and over-strength factors used in recent editions of the code are introduced in identifying different structural types with different toughness and energy dissipation capacities. The software can be used to conduct seismic screening of buildings located in different municipalities in Canada relative to the seismic requirements of NBCC-2010. It can also be used to generate tables for different locations in the country for manual screening of buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper describes the seismic (shake table) tests conducted on bookcase – partition wall systems. These nonstructural building components can be considered acceleration sensitive (or motion sensitive) rather than drift sensitive. The shake table floor motions used for the seismic testing are described in a companion paper. One bookcase fully loaded with books and two different cantilevered partition wall systems were considered in the shake table tests. Nine different configurations of these free-standing nonstructural building components were tested. For each configuration, three different seismic hazard levels were considered for the motions at the second floor level of a six-storey building designed for two different densely populated Canadian cities (Montréal and Vancouver). A total of 485 shake table tests were conducted in this experimental investigation. The experimental results indicated that pounding between unanchored bookcases and partition walls is very beneficial to the dynamic response of the bookcases, as it prevents resonance from occurring. Also, the seismic performance of bookcases improved dramatically by the proper installation of seismic restraint systems. Experimental fragility curves for overturning of tall bookcases are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]