Evaluating the Seismic Risk of Reinforced Concrete Buildings of Colleges under Royal University of Bhutan using RVS Method

Bhutan is located in seismically active Eastern Himalayas and is highly vulnerable to futureearthquake disasters. Moreover, most of the colleges under Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) havebeen upgraded from schools and training institutes. Therefore, an immediate assessment of thevulnerability of educational infrastructure is required to ensure user safety and continuity ofeducation after a disaster. In this study, the Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) methodology of FEMAP-154 and IIT Bombay is used to evaluate all reinforced concrete (RC) buildings of colleges underRUB. A detailed field survey was carried out from late 2024 to early 2025 in all colleges. It showsthat 40% of RC buildings are below the commonly accepted benchmark score (S>2) according toFEMA P-154. And similarly, around 49% have scores in the range (0.7 < S < 2.0) according to IITBombay’s methods, indicating "moderate risk", as this range will have a high possibility of Grade3 damage and a very high chance of Grade 2 damages during an earthquake. These two differentmethods of RVS provide similar results due to inadequate seismic detailing, soft-storeyirregularities, and ageing materials. The findings provide a classification of buildings based onpotential seismic vulnerabilities and recommend priorities for detailed assessment, retrofitting, andmitigation measures for risk prevention and reduction. The study advocates that RVS is an effectivepreliminary tool for decision-makers to prioritize risk intervention strategies under limited time andresources.