Performance of Prefabricated Large Panel Reinforced Concrete Buildings in the November 2019 Albania Earthquake

Abstract

The paper discusses the performance of prefabricated reinforced concrete (RC) buildings, known as large-panel buildings (LPE), that were affected by the November 26, 2019 Durrës, Albania earthquake (M 6.4). This was a common typology for multi-family housing in urban areas of Albania and neighbouring countries, e.g. ex-Yugoslavia, Romania, and Bulgaria, in the period from 1960 to 1990. The paper outlines the key structural and seismic features of LPE buildings in Albania and presents observations from a field survey of selected buildings at eight different localities within the earthquake-affected area. A new post-earthquake damage classification for LPE buildings has been proposed.