Comparative analysis of seismic design for shallow foundations adhering to the Kazakhstani and European approaches

Starting in 2015 the transition period from the traditional seismic design to the newly developed system has been initiated in Kazakhstan. The new regulatory system involves the application of the European approach for the design of buildings and structures on the territory of Kazakhstan. This research paper aims to present a comparative analysis of the seismic design code applied in Kazakhstan (SP RK 2.03-30-2017 - Construction in seismic zones) and Eurocode 8 (EC8). One of the key aspects of the research is to understand the difficulties of the integration of the European design standards in Kazakhstan. Moreover, the problems associated with seismic design in Kazakhstan are discussed. The necessity of the application of the European approach considering geotechnical features of the country in the National Annex is defined and proved. The considered codes of practice are also compared in terms of their conservativeness and cost efficiency for seismic design based on the design problem in Almaty city.