Evaluation of Seismic Performance for High‐rise MiC Buildings with Reinforced Concrete Structural Walls

Abstract Through prefabrication in factories off‐site and installation on‐site, modular integrated construction (MiC) buildings are emerging as a key direction in building industrialization with various advantages. However, the structural behaviours of MiC buildings have not been well understood, particularly in the case of relatively high‐rise structures. This paper therefore examines the seismic behaviour of a 20‐storey prototype high‐rise MiC building with reinforced concrete structural walls. The detailed numerical model was first established to represent the key structural elements. Modal analysis and nonlinear static pushover assessments were then conducted to evaluate the typical plastic mechanisms of such MiC buildings. Subsequently, parametric studies were undertaken, using nonlinear pushover and incremental dynamic analysis, to further investigate the influence of connection properties and the possible use of specific behaviour factors in design. It is shown that the properties of inter‐modular connections have a notable effect on the distribution of lateral drifts over the height due to the deformation distribution between the modules and RC walls. Finally, hazard‐based approaches, which can be used for practical assessment and simplified code‐based evaluations, are highlighted and discussed.