Agent-based post-earthquake evacuation simulation to enhance early-stage architectural layout and non-structural design

In the indoor design process, architects make crucial decisions regarding architectural layout and the selection of non-structural elements. However, there is a lack of comprehensive consideration for human evacuation behavior, specifically in the event of earthquake evacuation, during the design process. This paper bridges this gap by presenting the application of Agent-Based Building Earthquake Evacuation Simulation (AB2E2S). The paper assesses a post-earthquake evacuation simulation prototype, which integrates an agent-based simulation technique with probabilistic earthquake damage assessment. The model is applied to the case of the engineering building at The University of Auckland, to evaluate the impact of earthquake intensity, design, and behavioral variables on Safe Evacuation Time and number of casualties. Overall, this paper demonstrates the potential of the AB2E2S prototype to inform architects and designers about the effective selection of non-structural elements and architectural layout scenarios for post-earthquake evacuation during the schematic design process.