Metal building envelopes in seismic areas

Metal building envelopes in seismic areas Building envelopes in lightweight metal construction, such as sandwich panels or multi-shell constructions with trapezoidal profiles, are frequently used in industrial and commercial construction. These initially only have a space-enclosing effect and are dimensioned according to the loads resulting from wind and temperature effects or snow loads. As part of an IGF/FOSTA research project, the aim was to determine the extent to which the roof and wall elements fulfil a stiffening function in the event of an earthquake. To this end, roof and wall elements and their connections to the substructure were examined with regard to their cyclical behaviour, energy dissipation capacity and functionality after seismic events. Detailed tests were carried out on connections, large-scale tests on shear bays and building physics investigations.