In a recent publication by ASCE Civil Engineering Online, the collaborative efforts of Arup, a global sustainable development firm, and the NHERI SimCenter, a National Science Foundation-funded computational modeling and simulation center, are highlighted in an article titled “Open-source simulation software boosts earthquake resilience.” Written by Ibrahim Almufti, Principal at Arup; Adam Zsarnóczay, SimCenter associate director for research outreach; Stevan Gavrilovic, digital risk and resilience engineer at Arup as well as a SimCenter software developer; and Grace Kang, SimCenter communications manager, the article delves into the advancements made in resilient design through the integration of open-source technology.
The article underscores the release of the Seismic Downtime Model from Arup’s Resilience-Based Design Initiative (REDi) as open-source software, which has now been seamlessly integrated into the SimCenter’s open-source Performance Based Engineering (PBE) application. This alignment between Arup and the SimCenter aims to bolster earthquake resilience by facilitating access to advanced simulation tools within the engineering community.
With over 1,300 downloads, the open-source version of REDi has garnered significant interest within the engineering design realm. The integration of REDi into SimCenter’s PBE application not only expands its accessibility but also caters to engineers who may not be adept at coding. PBE offers a user-friendly interface for running complex performance assessment calculations, thus streamlining design workflows. Notably, REDi is the first recovery module to be incorporated into the PBE application, demonstrating a significant stride towards comprehensive performance-based engineering practices.
SimCenter’s overarching mission to bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical application in natural hazards engineering is further exemplified through the open-source release of REDi. By fostering community-driven development and enabling benchmarking with other downtime estimation methods, this initiative bolsters innovation and knowledge dissemination within the engineering community.
Related article: “REDi seismic downtime model released as open-source software to advance resilient design.”