Performance Based Design of Steel Frames via Practical Advanced Analysis *Salah E. El-Metwally 1) and Ahmed M. Sheta 2) 1), 2) Department of Structural Engineering, Mansoura University, El-Mansoura, Egypt 2) selmetwally@yahoo.com ABSTRACT Performance based design has become essential in order to improve structure behavior and life cycle cost. The tool for achieving such a design in steel frames is the advanced analysis. With the advanced analysis the designer avoids the drawbacks of the K-factor design in addition to achieving more reliable and economic design. The only difficulty encountered in advanced analysis is the excessive computation effort; nevertheless, this problem has remarkably been eased in the practical advanced analysis. This presentation outlines the method of practical advanced analysis and it demonstrates the application of the method for the assessment of steel frame performance under fire and earthquakes. Under fire, the analysis results in predictions of the critical load factor, critical temperature, under which a frame may collapse, along with the fire duration and deformability of the frame. Under earthquakes the analysis achieves both "performance-based design" and "structure fuse concept". Performance- based design is for various levels of performance of structural and non-structural components. Structure fuse concept has been adopted for controlled failure or excessive deformations at preselected locations. This approach will promote maintaining the life-safety of structures, repair of major ruined structures with least cost. 1. INTRODUCTION Although the service-operational and ultimate-strength limit states design methods are mainly employed in almost common steel design codes all over the world, the performance-based design is considered a multilevel design approach that has explicit concern for the performance of a building at intermediate limit 1) Professor 2) Assistant Lecturer