Overview of NRC’s Newly Released Seismic Evaluation Guidelines (SEG) for Existing Buildings in Canada

Abstract

Earthquakes are among the most destructive natural disasters, capable of causing severe casualties and significant economic losses. For building owners, assessing and mitigating seismic risks in existing buildings poses both technical and economic challenges. In Canada, there has long been a need for nationwide technical guidelines for seismic evaluation and upgrading. The National Research Council Canada (NRC) first addressed this in the 1990s by publishing Guidelines for Seismic Evaluation of Existing Buildings and Guideline for Seismic Upgrading od Building Structures. However, these documents were never updated and have since become outdated.

Currently, the National Building Code of Canada (NBC) Commentary L recommends ASCE 41 Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Buildings as a reference for seismic evaluation and upgrading. While comprehensive, ASCE 41 is based on American design and construction practices, and its direct applicability to Canada requires careful consideration.

Recognizing this gap, the Seismic Resilience Team at NRC’s Construction Research Centre has spent the past seven years developing updated, Canadian‑specific technical guidelines—the newly released Level 3 – Seismic Evaluation Guidelines (SEG) and Seismic Upgrading Guidelines (SUG) for existing buildings in Canada.

Designed to help professionals apply these new guidelines for effective implementation, and to improve safety and resilience of existing buildings, a series of webinars and training workshops are being delivered by the NRC in partnership with CAEES.

While the SEG may be considered the Canadian counterpart to ASCE 41, there are several significant differences:

1. Linear analysis methods in the SEG are force-based and aligned with the NBC and CSA design standards.
2. Limits and thresholds in Tier 1 Quick Evaluation Checklists of the SEG have been made consistent with the NBC and CSA design standards.
3. A Canadian multi-modal pushover analysis method has been adopted for carrying out non-linear static analysis.
4. Modelling parameters and acceptance criteria for non-linear analysis of existing buildings have been adapted to the Canadian context.

Presenters’ Biography

	Reza Fathi-Fazl, Ph.D., P.Eng. Senior Research Officer NRC ([email protected])	Dr. Reza Fathi-Fazl, P.Eng. is a Senior Research Officer and Director of R&D for the Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (SRIC) unit at the National Research Council Canada (NRC)’s Construction Research Centre. He leads national initiatives in seismic resilience, infrastructure rehabilitation and renewal, and low-carbon concrete construction, collaborating with government, industry, and academic partners across Canada and internationally. As part of NRC’s Seismic Resilience Team, he spearheaded the development and adoption of NRC’s Seismic Screening, Evaluation, and Upgrading Guidelines, now used by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) for assessing and retrofitting existing buildings. He has also advanced seismic performance-based design and evaluation of building structures through his research and involvement in Codes Canada’s R&D initiatives. With more than 50 publications and technical reports, and extensive collaboration with consulting firms on seismic retrofits and rehabilitation of major Canadian heritage and institutional projects—including Parliament Hill and the West Memorial Building—Dr. Fathi-Fazl bridges research and practice. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa, where he lectures and supervises graduate students in earthquake engineering and resilient infrastructure.
	Farrokh Fazileh, Ph.D., P.Eng. Senior Research Officer NRC ([email protected])	Dr. Farrokh Fazileh, P.Eng. is a Senior Research Officer at National Research Council Canada (NRC) and adjunct professor at University of Ottawa and Carleton University. With over 20 years of experience in structural and earthquake engineering, his work focuses on developing performance-based design guidelines and improving building resilience to earthquakes. He has served as research advisor for seismic design provisions of the National Building Code 2025 and 2030, and has developed and implemented innovative seismic retrofit products and technologies in several existing and heritage building rehabilitation projects.
	Zhen Cai, Ph.D. Associate Research Officer NRC ([email protected])	Dr. Zhen Cai is an Associate Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) with over a decade of expertise in earthquake engineering. For the past eight years, he has worked closely with colleagues to develop a series of technical guidelines for the seismic assessment and upgrading of existing buildings. His recent research focuses on performance-based design and assessment, aimed at improving the resilience of buildings against climate change and earthquakes. Dr. Cai also serves as a non-voting participant on the Task Group for Extreme Winds under the National Model Codes Committee on Climate Change Adaptation.