Built Environmenta Data (BED) - SimDesign Framework

A Python package for the modeling the seismic vulnerability of buildings using the simulated design. Currently, it focuses on Reinforced Concrete (RC) Moment Resisting Frames (MRFs), but the workflow is adaptable to other structural systems. To ensure modularity and scalability for future extensions, the rcmrf framework is integrated within the broader simdesign library. The framework can accommodate the design of buildings using both historical and modern seismic design procedures and regulations, while capturing building-to-building variability. It generates Building Class Information Models (BCIM), Building Design Information Models (BDIM), and Building Nonlinear Structural Models (BNSM) that are analyzable in OpenSees.

Installation

Follow the steps below to install the simdesign package:

1. Clone the Repository

Open your terminal and run:

git clone https://github.com/builtenvdata/simulated-design.git
cd simulated-design

2. Set Up a Virtual Environment (Recommended)

Create a virtual environment to manage dependencies:

python -m venv .venv  # On Windows
python3 -m venv .venv  # On Linux

Activate the virtual environment:

.venv\Scripts\activate  # On Windows
source .venv/Scripts/activate  # On Linux

3. Install Dependencies

Install the required packages listed in requirements.txt.

For Windows Users: Install the appropriate requirements file based on your Python version:

pip install -r requirements-py311-win64.txt  # Python 3.11
pip install -r requirements-py312-win64.txt  # Python 3.12

For Linux Users: Install the appropriate requirements file based on your Python version:

pip install -r requirements-py311-linux64.txt  # Python 3.11
pip install -r requirements-py312-linux64.txt  # Python 3.12

For macOS Users: OpenSeesPy is currently incompatible with macOS versions running on arm64 processors (e.g., M1 and M2 chips). Consequently, newer versions of OpenSeesPy are not released for the macOS platforms. It is recommended to use a virtual machine running Linux or Windows on Mac computers to utilize OpenSeesPy.

4. Install the Package

Install the simdesign package:

pip install .

Alternatively, to install in editable mode (useful for development), run:

pip install -e .

Usage

Once installed, you can import and use the package in Python:

# Example usage
from simdesign import rcmrf

# The main inputs for each design class
inputs = {
    'bcim': {
        'design_class': 'eu_cdl',
        'sample_size': 30,
        'num_storeys': 4,
        'beta': 0.1,
        'seed': 2
    },
    'bnsm': {
        "scheme": 'FMP',
        "dincr": 1e-4,
        'max_drift': 0.1,
        'opensees': 'py'
    }
}

# Run the bed-workflow for rcmrf systems and save the outputs
bcim, bdim, bnsm = rcmrf.generate(inputs=inputs, outdir="Outputs")

For more examples please see the scripts folder.

Moreover, it is possible to visualize and design buildings with specific geometries:

• Example of standard frame geometry

• Example of custom frame geometry

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you’d like to contribute, follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch (git checkout -b feature-branch).
3. Make your changes.
4. Update the test files (test_rcmrf.py) for new features.
5. Run pytest and check if all tests pass (pytest tests).
6. Commit the changes (git commit -m 'Add new feature').
7. Push to the branch (git push origin feature-branch).
8. Open a pull request.

References

If you use the SimDesign tool, please be sure to cite the reference publication:

Ozsarac, V., Pereira, N., Mohamed, H., Romão, X., & O’Reilly, G. J. (2025). The Built Environment Data Framework for Simulated Design and Vulnerability Modelling in Earthquake Engineering. Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics. https://doi.org/10.1002/eqe.4378

Hasanoğlu, S., Ozsarac, V., & O’Reilly, G. J. (2025). A model for the simulated design of Turkish RC frame buildings in seismic vulnerability analysis. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-025-02301-y

License

This project is licensed under the AGPL-3.0 license. See the LICENSE file for details.