Balancing seismic safety and sustainability: Comparative assessment of TEC and EC8 for RC frames

This study compares the minimum requirements of the Turkish Earthquake Codes (TEC 2007 and TEC 2018) and Eurocode 8 (EC8) for reinforced concrete (RC) frames, integrating seismic safety with material efficiency, cost, and environmental sustainability, specifically focusing on embodied energy (EE) and embodied carbon (EC). The analysis encompasses 4-, 7-, and 10-story RC frames with 6m bays and 3.5m story heights. The results indicate that both material usage and construction costs increase proportionally with an increase in building height for each seismic code. EC8 requires more concrete than TEC, while TEC requires more steel than EC8 for all buildings under consideration. Additionally, EC8 presents a more sustainable alternative compared to the Turkish codes. Notably, while EC8 requires up to 14% more concrete, it requires 27% less steel than TEC 2018, leading to a reduction in overall EE (by 9-11%) and EC (by 3-5%) per floor area. The findings highlight trade-offs between enhanced safety provisions and sustainability, providing recommendations for code harmonization that aim to optimize resource utilization in seismically active regions.