SHYH-JIANN HWANGChung L.L.Chiou T.C.Chen P.C.2026-03-122026-03-122021https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105027851375&origin=resultslisthttps://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/736243Prior to the introduction of modern seismic codes in the late 1990s for Taiwan, many reinforced concrete buildings were designed without adequate detailing and reinforcement for seismic protection. For these vulnerable buildings, enhancements to the seismic capacities through retrofitting are urgently needed. The objective of this paper is to report the current seismic retrofitting programs of Taiwan. One is the school retrofitting program issued by the Ministry of Education 12 years ago. There are 3,783 elementary and high schools in Taiwan, and the total number of buildings may be as high as approximately twenty seven thousands. Without careful planning, the budget could easily be exceeded due to the large number of buildings. Adopting an effective strategy using economical technologies and systematic prioritization is essential for this school retrofitting project to be successful. The government of Taiwan has launched a project to upgrade the seismic performance of school buildings, and a total of $138 billion Taiwan dollars was budgeted from 2009 to 2022. This school retrofitting program have upgraded the seismic capacities of approximately 8,500 school buildings in Taiwan. The other is the seismic retrofitting program for residential buildings by phases issued by the Ministry of Interior Affairs. Reinforced concrete buildings account for 75% of the total floor area in Taiwan. More than three quarters of these existing concrete buildings were constructed before 1999. Because of the less seismic demand and the inadequate seismic detailing, these older reinforced concrete buildings are prone to severe earthquake damage and even collapse. Worst of all is the deficiency of the soft first story due to the residential and commercial mixed usage. This retrofitting program by phases, started from 2018, is aimed to remove the seismic deficiency of the soft first story as a first priority for the residential buildings. The strategy, technology and progress of these seismic programs are introduced in this paper.falsereinforced concreteresidential buildingschool buildingseismic retrofittingsoft first storyconference paper2-s2.0-105027851375