Enabling Seismic Performance-Based Design Pathways for Cold-Formed Steel Framed Buildings

The objective of this talk is to initiate a broader technical discussion on the use of seismic performance-based design for cold-formed steel (CFS) framed buildings and to outline emerging pathways for its practical implementation.

Seismic performance-based design has fundamentally reshaped reinforced concrete structural practice in high seismic regions, particularly in California, enabling architectural and structural solutions outside of prescriptive code limits. In contrast, seismic design of CFS framing remains largely constrained by prescriptive provisions in ASCE 7, including limits on height, details, and system applicability, despite growing experimental and analytical evidence of robust seismic performance.

Building on the CFS10 research program and the development of a comprehensive cold-formed steel shear wall database, ongoing work with an ASCE 41 committee working group is focused on improving nonlinear response history analysis (NLRHA) modeling guidelines for CFS-framed buildings. These efforts aim to establish technically sound modeling approaches, acceptance criteria, and uncertainty considerations necessary to support seismic performance-based assessment and design of CFS framing. While formal guidelines are still under development, existing research suggests that CFS seismic systems can be characterized using nonlinear analysis methods analogous to those that enabled the widespread adoption of performance-based seismic design for reinforced concrete structures.

This presentation is intended to open a dialogue within the CFS engineering community, particularly among practitioners who may be unfamiliar with performance-based seismic design, and to encourage discussion of its role as a pathway to extend the application of CFS framing beyond current prescriptive limits. The talk will also call for the development of a community of practice for seismic performance-based design of CFS structures to support peer review, shared experience, and consensus-building, and to help define realistic timelines and pathways for the implementation of taller, lighter, and more resilient CFS buildings, while informing longer-term improvements to prescriptive seismic design standards.

Benjamin Schafer, Ph.D., P.E., F. SEI
Johns Hopkins University

Benjamin Schafer is the Hackerman Professor of Civil and Systems Engineering and the Director of the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute at Johns Hopkins University. He is an active volunteer and leader on multiple national committees related to the engineering and design of steel building structures. He has won multiple awards for his research, teaching, and speaking and currently resides in Washington D.C. with his wife and son.

Kevin Aswegan, P.E., S.E.
Magnusson Klemencic Associates

Kevin is a Senior Principal at Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA) whose portfolio of work includes buildings as tall as 75 stories and developments larger than two million square feet. His clients value his team-first approach to finding sensible and innovative solutions to complex structural challenges. Kevin is the author of the book “Design and Performance of Tall Buildings for Wind,” and he is an industry expert on topics related to seismicity and performance-based design. He is a key member of MKA’s Performance-Based Design, Earthquake, and Wind Technical Specialist Teams.

Tara Hutchinson, Ph.D., P.E.
University of California, San Diego

Tara Hutchinson is a Professor in the Department of Structural Engineering at the University of California, San Diego with broad research interests in geotechnical, structural and earthquake engineering. Much of her work involves full- or large-scale shake table and fixed reaction-type experimentation. She obtained her Ph.D. at the University of California, Davis and M.S. at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She has been on the faculty at UC San Diego since 2007 and presently serves as the Powell Laboratory Director. In 2024 she was appointed the Jan Talbot Endowed Chair in the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego.

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