Regional Probabilistic Seismic Loss Assessment for Buildings: Comparison of Intensity Measure Field‐Based and Physics‐Based Frameworks

ABSTRACT With increasing in urbanization, cities in moderate to high seismic hazard, are facing higher seismic risks due to high population density and economic concentration. Understanding the seismic performance and loss of building portfolios is essential to develop effective mitigation strategies. The risk assessment is intricately dependent on the seismic hazard model considered. This study compares two regional seismic risk assessment methods: intensity measure random field‐based and physics‐based ground motion simulation frameworks. Spectral accelerations and ground motion acceleration time histories simulated by the two methods are respectively used as inputs for structural response analysis of buildings. The study investigates differences in seismic loss estimates and their causes. Results indicate that the seismic losses predicted using the physics‐based framework show less dispersion, attributed to the more concentrated structural responses and less dispersed ground motion. This study offers beneficial insights to improve the seismic risk quantification on a regional scale.