An outline of a reconnaissance of steel school buildings damaged by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake is presented. In this reconnaissance, a total of 216 facilities have been investigated by the Steel Structure Working Group of the Subcommittee on Seismic Performance of School Buildings, Architectural Institute of Japan. The damage to structural elements, connections, non-structural elements, foundation and surrounding soil, as well as the details including building history and seismic retrofit have been recorded and the overall damage has been evaluated based on the “Standard for Post-earthquake Damage Evaluation of Damaged Buildings” published by the Japan Building Disaster Prevention Association. Not only seismic damage but damage caused by the devastating tsunami are also covered. Detailed analysis of the damage to individual structural and non-structural components are presented in following papers.
