The 2003 Boumerdes earthquake caused a large amount of damage, particularly in the city of Boumerdes.
After the disaster, a revision of Algerian code and the retrofitting of the 1,200 dwellings of Ibn Khaldoun
city were made. The study of the city was made by a group of engineers from the National Body for
Technical Control of Construction of the East (CTC-EST), and tests were carried out just after the
disaster by a group of researchers from the National Center for Applied Research in Paraseismic
Engineering (CGS) and the Internal Geophysics and Tectonophysics Laboratory (IRD), then other tests
were carried out after the rehabilitation as part of a magister thesis in 2010. The retrofitting method at
that time was based on an experimental approach without following a specific code. Japan, being
especially advanced in seismic evaluation and rehabilitation of different structures, the Japan Building
Disaster Prevention Association (JBDPA) method was used during this study to evaluate and retrofit a
building of Boumerdes and compare 4 models of retrofitting under 3 different earthquakes. The
comparison was based on the seismic index “Is”, the story drift and shear at each floor, to find the most
safely and economically effective result. During the study, the Japanese code and factor had to be
adapted to Algerian seismic activity and ground proprieties. The use of STERA-3D and the time history
analysis method was also necessary for the calculations. The final result showed the model of the after
earthquake retrofit having higher safety, but the JBDPA method proposed retrofitting model with lower
capacity, which satisfy the minimum safety conditions and were more economical than the retrofit
proposed at that time. Therefore, it would be beneficial for Algeria to be inspired by the JBDPA method
for the future changes in the Algerian seismic code and add to it an evaluation and rehabilitation
procedure adaptable to the different seismic zones of Algeria.
Keywords: Reinforced concrete (RC) building, seismic evaluation, retrofitting, time history analysis.