A Critical Review of Indian Seismic Codes for Buildings in the Light of International Codes of Practice

The field of earthquake-resistant design of structures is undergoing major transformations all around the world, and it is expected that the Indian seismic codes incorporate such developments from time to time to help engineers implement the latest methodologies in their design. The Indian seismic code IS 1893-Part 1 which covers general provisions and criteria for the earthquake-resistant design of building structures has been revised, and the 2016 edition is recently issued. The latest revision, though includes some improvements still lacks many important provisions required for earthquake-resistant design and detailing. Therefore, a critical review of the latest revision of seismic code is undertaken along with IS 800:2007 (section-12) and the adjunct code IS 13920:2016 based on the current state of the art and provisions in other major national codes. The paper highlights limitations and omissions in the latest Indian seismic codes and suggests important updates and revisions required to make current practice in the detailed engineering of earthquake-resistant structures at par with other international codes of practice.