by Ulugbek T. Begaliev, Svetlana Uranova, V. Manukovskiy
Precast reinforced concrete frame buildings (series 106) were introduced in Kyrgyzstan around 1975. These apartment buildings are usually 9 stories high; less frequently they may be 12 stories. The fundamental period of vibrations is typically in the range of 0.65-0.85 sec. Series 106 was developed by the Kyrgyz Design Institute for construction in earthquake-prone areas. Several buildings of this type (about 15 in total) were built in the capital city Bishkek (design seismicity 8 on the MSK scale). The load-bearing structure consists of a precast reinforced concrete space frame and precast floor slabs. Partition walls are constructed using clay-brick masonry units or small concrete blocks. Buildings of this type have not yet been subjected to major earthquakes. These buildings are not considered to be highly vulnerable to earthquake effects, provided that the construction quality, particularly with reference to the joints, is satisfactory. It should be noted that precast frame buildings of a different type (Series 111) performed very poorly in the 1988 Spitak (Armenia) earthquake.