Comparative Study of Moment resisting frame system and dual shear wall-frame system using ETABS 2016

The purpose of this report is to determine the effectiveness of using shear walls with Moment-resisting frames by modeling two bare frame structures. The first model is a combination of bare frames and shear walls, and the second model is without shear walls, and analyzing them statically (LATERAL FORCE METHOD) and dynamically (RESPONSE SPECTRUM METHOD) using ETABS 2016 software, and comparing the results of base shear forces, displacements and vibration modes, in order to form a comprehensive understanding of the proper use of shear walls. The report raises critical questions regarding the key factors of resisting seismic forces on similar structures, where rigidity or ductility can play opposing roles in the overall structure resistance.

CLIMATE RESPONSIVE BUILDING DESIGN STRATEGIES OF VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IN SWAIDA CITY, SYRIA

The history of Swaida city in several civilizations was clear through architecture as if it formed a mixture of them all. Each culture had its own way of dealing with the environmental conditions, combining these design strategies accumulatively resulted in a rich architecture that deals with the environment in a very systematic way. On the other hand, the construction strategies dealt with a lot of limitation such as the lack of resources and experiences which were not available during those periods. This report describes the historical and climatical characteristics that Swaida city has, and reviews some design strategies that used to respond to climate challenges.