Ambient vibration tests and modal response analysis of an old age high-rise building in downtown vancouver, Canada

Abstract

This paper describes a series of ambient and forced vibration tests conducted on an old 44 story reinforced concrete building; Empire Landmark Hotel, located in Downtown Vancouver, Canada. The structure of the building consisted of reinforced concrete frames with concrete core walls, shear walls and concrete slabs. Three series of sensors were used to measure the ambient and forced vibrations of the building in multiple locations. Modal response analysis was performed to identify the dynamic properties of the building. As results, the natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes of the building were presented.