EVEREST ENGINEERING COLLEGE
(Affiliated to Pokhara University)
Sanepa, Lalitpur
Subject Code [CVL 490]
A MAJOR PROJECT PROPOSAL ON
"STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS & DESIGN A OF MULTI-STOREY
RCC COMMERCIAL BUILDING IN KATHMANDU"
Submitted by:
Bikesh Silwal [21045725]
Bimal Singh Dhami [21045726]
Dhan Prasad Budha [21045731]
Naresh Bhatt [21045751]
Pravin Wod [21045760]
Sarjan Pun Magar [21045783]
Submitted to:
Department of Civil Engineering
June, 2025
ABSTRACT
This project is about designing and analyzing a multi-storey reinforced concrete (RCC)
commercial high-rise building located in Kathmandu, an area known for its high earthquake
risk. The goal is to ensure the designed building is structurally safe, efficient, and follows the
building codes of Nepal. The design will be based on NBC 105:2020, which provides rules for
earthquake-resistant structures. Modern engineering software such as ETABS will be used for
structural modelling and seismic analysis, while AutoCAD will be used for preparing building
drawings. The building will have open floor spaces suitable for commercial use. The project
will include estimating loads, analysing how the building behaves under those loads, designing
structural members like beams, columns, slabs, and footings, and preparing structural
drawings. The final result will be a full technical report along with analysis data and design
drawings.
Key words: Multi-Storey building, Seismic Design, ETABS, NBC 105, RCC structure
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LIST OF ABBREVIATION
RCC: Reinforced Cement Concrete
NBC: Nepal Building Code
IS: Indian Standard
ETABS: Extended Three Dimensional Analysis of Building System
SP:16 : Special Publication No. 16
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LIST OF FIGURE
Figure 1: Flow Chart of Methodology 6
Figure 2: Gantt chart of Work Schedule 7
3
LIST OF TABLE
Table 1: Budget Plan 7
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Table of Content
ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................... i
LIST OF ABBREVIATION .................................................................................................. ii
LIST OF FIGURE ................................................................................................................ iii
LIST OF TABLE ................................................................................................................. iv
CHAPTER-1: INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................... 1
1.1 Background............................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Statement of Problem .............................................................................................. 1
1.3 Objectives ............................................................................................................... 1
1.4 Significance of Study .............................................................................................. 2
1.5 Scope and Limitation of Study ................................................................................ 2
1.5.1 Scope of Study ................................................................................................. 2
1.5.2 Limitation of Study .......................................................................................... 2
CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................... 3
2.1 Building Codes ............................................................................................................ 3
2.2 Methods of Design of RCC structure ........................................................................... 4
CHAPTER-3: METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................... 6
CHAPTER-4: PROJECT PLAN ........................................................................................... 7
CHAPTER-5: BUDGET PLAN ............................................................................................ 7
CHAPTER-6: EXPECTED OUTCOME ............................................................................... 8
References ............................................................................................................................ 9
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CHAPTER-1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
A commercial building is a structure used for business activities such as offices, shopping
complexes, banks, hotels, or other services that generate revenue. These buildings are designed
not only to provide functional spaces for business but also to accommodate high foot traffic,
safety standards, and accessibility. In rapidly urbanizing cities like Kathmandu, commercial
buildings play a vital role in the economic and urban development.
Given the limited availability of horizontal space in Kathmandu and increasing urban density,
multi-storey commercial buildings have become essential. They help to maximize land use
efficiency, support vertical expansion, and provide more commercial units within a confined
area—especially in central business zones.
However, Kathmandu lies in a seismically active zone, classified as Zone IV according to NBC
105:2020 (Nepal Building Code), which signifies high seismic risk. The devastating 2015
Gorkha Earthquake exposed the severe vulnerability of the existing building stock, especially
poorly designed or unreinforced concrete structures. This event resulted in massive destruction
of infrastructure, loss of lives, and economic setback.
Hence, designing earthquake-resistant buildings is not just an engineering requirement but a
humanitarian and developmental necessity. Commercial buildings, being high-occupancy
structures, must be especially resilient to earthquakes to minimize casualties, reduce economic
loss, and ensure rapid post-earthquake functionality.
1.2 Statement of Problem
The 2015 Gorkha Earthquake highlighted the fragility of Kathmandu’s built environment.
Numerous commercial structures collapsed or suffered irreparable damage, primarily due to
lack of proper seismic design, poor construction practices, and inadequate regulatory
enforcement. These failures not only led to significant loss of human lives and business
continuity, but also caused long-term economic disruption in the city’s core commercial hubs.
Despite the clear risks, many existing and even some new commercial buildings in Kathmandu
are still not fully compliant with modern earthquake-resistant standards, especially with the
newer revisions of NBC 105:2020. This creates an urgent need to rethink and redesign multi-
storey commercial buildings to be structurally safe and functionally resilient during and after
seismic [Link] the same time, the demand for commercial space in Kathmandu is
continuously rising due to population growth, business expansion, and urban migration.
Horizontal expansion is limited by topography and land availability, making vertical
development through multi-storey construction a practical and necessary solution.
1.3 Objectives
● To design a multi-storey commercial earthquake resistant RCC building using NBC 105
and IS codes.
● To perform seismic analysis using ETABS.
● To generate structural drawings using AutoCAD.
1.4 Significance of Study
This study serves as a practical application of earthquake engineering and structural design
theories. It demonstrates the practical application of structural software and code-based design
principles for real-world structures.
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1.5 Scope and Limitation of Study
1.5.1 Scope of Study
● Preparation of architectural layout of building.
● Preparation of detailed technical report documenting design methodology,
result and drawings of earthquake resistant building.
● Design of RCC structural components: slabs, beams, columns, and foundations.
● Load calculation and application by using NBC and IS codes.
● Seismic analysis using ETABS
● Preparation of AutoCAD drawings.
1.5.2 Limitation of Study
● Construction and cost estimation will not be included.
● The project assumes standard site conditions and soil type; no actual geotechnical
investigation is performed.
● Electrical layout, wiring, and safety systems will not be included.
● Plumbing and sanitation systems will not be considered.
● Design will be only for plain ground
● Snow load will not be included.
CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW
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2.1 Building Codes
NBC 105:2020- Seismic Design of Buildings in Nepal is Nepal’s national standard for
earthquake-resistant building design. It classifies the country into seismic zones and provides
guidelines for calculating base shear, applying seismic loads, and using appropriate response
reduction factors (R). For Kathmandu, strict provisions apply, including ductile detailing, drift
limitations, and consideration of soil types. It mandates the use of Special Moment Resisting
Frames (SMRF) and shear walls in tall buildings.
NBC 206- Design of Reinforced Concrete Buildings, provides practical and design-specific
guidelines for reinforced concrete structures in Nepal. It works alongside NBC 105 and
includes member sizing, reinforcement details, minimum cover, anchorage length, and bar
placement rules. It is especially relevant for preparing structural drawings in AutoCAD, as it
helps ensure that detailing matches construction practices in Nepal.
IS 456:2000- plain and Reinforced concrete code of practice, is India’s primary code for the
design and construction of RCC buildings using the limit state method. It defines material
properties, design of structural elements under flexure, shear, torsion, and axial loads, as well
as serviceability criteria like deflection and cracking. It also includes guidance on durability,
cover, exposure conditions, and load combinations. IS 456 provides the base for sizing and
designing structural members, especially in gravity load combinations and detailing that are
not fully covered in Nepalese codes.
SP-16, Design Aids for Reinforced Concrete to IS 456, is a handbook that provides ready-made
design tables and curves for RCC members following IS 456:2000. It simplifies complex
calculations for beams, slabs, and columns under combined axial and bending loads, making it
highly useful during manual verification of ETABS results. SP-16 helps in quickly verify
reinforcement requirements, section capacities, and interaction curves for columns and
footings, saving time in hand calculations and cross-checking automated design outputs.
SP-34, Handbook on Reinforcement and Detailing, is a companion document to IS 456,
focusing on proper detailing of structural members like beams, slabs, columns, staircases, and
footings. It includes illustrations, reinforcement guidelines, lap lengths, anchorage rules, and
bar bending schedules. It ensures the constructability and structural performance of the building
by reducing errors during construction. SP-34 support the preparation of AutoCAD structural
drawings and reinforcement detailing that comply with national standards and improve the
quality of construction documentation.
IS 875: (Part-1): dead load, deals with the estimation of dead loads, including self-weight of
structural elements and permanent fixtures. It provides unit weights of materials like concrete,
brick, steel, and flooring materials. In ETABS model, these values are either input manually or
auto-calculated, but cross-checking with IS 875 Part 1 ensures accuracy. Accurate dead load
estimation is critical for base shear calculation and overall design reliability, especially in
multi-storey buildings.
IS 875 (Part 2): Imposed Load, specifies imposed (live) loads for different occupancy types —
residential, commercial, office, storage, etc. It provides guidance on uniformly distributed
loads (UDL) and concentrated loads on floors and roofs. For commercial floor loading
(typically 3–5 kN/m²) will be used in ETABS modelling. Proper application of live loads
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ensures realistic stress distribution, and it directly influences the sizing of beams, slabs, and
foundations.
IS 875 (Part 3): Wind Load, deals with wind loading on buildings and structures, taking into
account wind speed, terrain, building height, and shape. Though Kathmandu is not a high-wind
zone, for tall buildings, checking wind effects is still recommended. IS 875 Part 3 helps
calculating wind pressure and lateral forces that may add to or oppose seismic effects. Wind
load may be ignored only if shown to be negligible, but should be checked per code.
IS 875 (Part 5): Special Load and Load Combination, includes loads such as impact, vibration,
temperature effects, and crane loads, and it outlines how to combine these with dead, live, and
seismic loads. While not all special loads may apply to building, understanding load
combinations is essential.
IS 1893 (Part 1): Criteria for Earthquake Resistant Design of Structure, is India’s core code for
earthquake-resistant design. Part 1 focuses on general buildings and offers methods for base
shear calculation, modal analysis, time period estimation, and lateral force distribution. Its
design philosophy aligns closely with NBC 105:2020. It is useful when performing modal
response spectrum analysis in ETABS for multi-storey buildings. Even for project in Nepal, IS
1893 offers additional guidance and validation for seismic analysis, especially when tools like
ETABS are used.
IS 13920:2016, Ductile Detailing of RCC Structure Subjected to Seismic Forces, provides
detailed instructions for ductile reinforcement detailing of RCC members such as beams,
columns, joints, and shear walls in seismic zones. It mandates confinement reinforcement, lap
splice location, anchorage, stirrup spacing, and joint reinforcement. This is mandatory for all
high-rise buildings in high seismic zones like Kathmandu. IS 13920 ensures that the structure
will behave ductilely during earthquakes, absorbing energy and preventing sudden failure.
2.2 Methods of Design of RCC structure
Working Stress Method (WSM): This method is the oldest systematic analytical design
method. In this method, service loads are used in the design and the strength of material is not
utilized in full extent. In this method, designing is based on elastic theory. Here, structures are
analysed elastically for worst combination for working load and the members are proportioned
such hat allowable or permissible stress never exceeded. This offers uneconomical design of
structures.
Ultimate Load Method (ULM): In this method, a section is said to have formed plastic hinge
when all the fibres yield. After that it continues to resist load which has caused plastic hinge
but will not resist more load. But structure continues to resist further load till sufficient plastic
hinges are formed to developed collapse mechanism. In this method, safety measures are
introduced by suggesting a load factor, which is defined as the ratio of design load to working
load.
Limit State Method (LSM): This method considers the ultimate strength of material which is
ignored in working stress method and also assures that the structure is serviceable for its
intended period of design. The various limit states to be considered in design mat be grouped
into the following two major categories:
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i. Limit state of strength: It refers to the maximum load-carrying capacity of a structural
member beyond which failure is likely to occur. This includes failure due to bending,
shear, torsion, axial compression or tension, and overall instability of the structure. The
purpose of this limit state is to ensure that the structure remains safe and stable under
the most severe loading conditions it may experience during its lifetime. In this method,
safety factors are applied to both the loads (increased using partial safety factors) and
material strengths (reduced using strength reduction factors).
ii. Limit state of serviceability: It ensures that the structure remains functional,
comfortable, and visually acceptable during its normal use without excessive
deflection, cracking, or vibration. While the structure may be safe from collapse, poor
serviceability can lead to user discomfort, damage to finishes, and long-term durability
issues. This limit state deals with criteria such as maximum allowable deflection,
control of crack widths, vibrations under service loads, and exposure-related durability.
For instance, excessive sagging in beams or visible cracks in walls could indicate that
the serviceability requirements are not being met.
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CHAPTER-3: METHODOLOGY
Pass
Structure Drawing
Figure 1: Flow Chart of Methodology
6
CHAPTER-4: PROJECT PLAN
6/10/2025 7/30/2025 9/18/2025 11/7/2025 12/27/2025
Literature Review
Architectural Drawing
preparation
preliminary design
Load Calculation
ETABS Modeling ( analysis of structure,
analysis check )
Structural design
Structural Drawing
Documentation
Figure 2: Gantt chart of Work Schedule
CHAPTER-5: BUDGET PLAN
SN Description Amount (Rs.)
1 Data Collection 500
2 Documentation 2000
3 Miscellaneous 5000
Total 7500
Table 1: Budget Plan
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CHAPTER-6: EXPECTED OUTCOME
● A complete earthquake-resistant structural design of a multi-storey commercial
building in Kathmandu, meeting the requirements of NBC 105:2020 and relevant
codes.
● A detailed structural analysis model using software (ETABS), including load
calculations, member design, and seismic performance evaluation.
● Structural drawings and reinforcement details for major elements such as columns,
beams, slabs, shear walls, and foundations, ready for implementation.
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References
1) Development, M. o. (2020). Nepal National Building Code. Retrieved from
[Link]
2) IS 1893 Part 2 : 2014: Criteria for Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures Part 2
Liquid Retaining Tanks. (2014). Retrieved from Internet Archive:
[Link]
3) IS 875 (Part 1): Code of Practice for Design Loads (Other Than Earthquake) For
Buildings and Structures. Part 1: Dead Loads--Unit Weights of Building Materials and
Stored Materials (Second Revision). (1987). Retrieved from Internet Archive:
[Link]
4) IS 875 (Part 2): Code of Practice for Design Loads (Other Than Earthquake) For
Buildings and Structures. Part 2: Imposed Loads (Second Revision). (1987). Retrieved
from Internet Archive: [Link]
5) IS 875-3 (1987): Code of Practice for Design Loads (Other than Earthquake) for
Buildings and Structures, Part 3: Wind Loads. (1987). Retrieved from Internet Archive:
[Link]
6) mad Shakir Abbood, M. A. (2021). High Rise Buildings: Design, Analysis, and Safety
‒ An Overview. Baghdad, Iraq: Avanti Publishers .
7) Nepal National Building Code. (2024). Retrieved from Department of Urban
Development and Building Construction: [Link]
national-building-code-nbc-206--2024/
8) Nepal National Building Code. (2024). Retrieved from Department of Urban
Development and Building Construction: [Link]
national-building-code-nbc-205--2024/
9) SP 16 (1980): Design Aids for Reinforced Concrete to IS 456:1978. (1980). Retrieved
from Internet Archive:
[Link]
10) Standard, B. o. (2000, July). Retrieved from IS 456: 2000:
[Link]
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