This study presents a numerical investigation into the sensitivity of a reinforced concrete (RC) high-rise moment-resisting frame building to key ground-motion characteristics, namely frequency content and the presence of forward-directivity pulse-like ground motions. A nonlinear finite-element model of a 15-story RC building incorporating soil-structure interaction (SSI) effects is subjected to five different earthquake ground-motion records, each characterized by distinct frequency content, peak ground acceleration, and waveform characteristics. The selected records are scaled to a consistent intensity level to isolate the effects of different wave shapes. Engineering demand parameters (EDPs), including lateral displacements, base shear, and base moments, are evaluated. The results demonstrate that variations in wave shape and frequency content significantly influence the structural response, leading to amplified lateral displacements, base shear, and base moments. Pulse-like ground motions can produce higher response demands than ordinary ground motions and result in notable lateral drift demands, highlighting the importance of explicitly considering pulse-like ground motions in seismic performance assessment. Moreover, low-frequency ground motions consistently lead to amplified responses in the upper stories. These findings underscore the necessity of explicitly considering pulse-like ground motions in the performance-based seismic assessment of high-rise buildings located in near-fault regions.
