A revolutionary alternative technological solution for precast concrete connections and system, capable of achieving high-performance (low-damage) at low-cost has been introduced in the late 1990s as main outcome of the U.S. PRESSS (PREcast Seismic Structural System) program coordinated by the University of California, San Diego (Priestley, 1991, 1996; Priestley et al. 1999) and culminated with the pseudodynamic test of a large scale Five Storey Test Building (Fig. 1). The research project, funded by the National Science Foundation, the Precast Concrete Institute (PCI), and the Precast Concrete Manufacturing Association of California (PCMAC), represented the fourth phase of a coordinated U.S-Japan analytical and large scale testing program for seismic response of buildings with the specific objectives of developing practical and efficient solutions for precast systems in seismic areas, as alternatives to the “emulation” of cast-in-place reinforced concrete, and providing rational design recommendations for the codes.
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