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Good article; I will throw my two cents. Seismic drift values are much larger than wind values. UBC uses maximum inelastic response displacements rather than the design level displacements to verify the performance of the building. As stated above, the seismic drift limits are 2% & 2.5% of the story height for long and short -period buildings. So, for a floor to floor height of 12 feet the max. allowable inelastic drift value would be 2% of 12 feet= 0.02*12*12inches=2.88 inches. For wind for a 12 story height, drift would be L/400=12*12/400 =0.36 inches, A comparison of both wind and seismic drift limits shows that earthquake inelastic displacements are quiet large compared to wind displacements. That is why proper detailing is emphasied in seismic design. Moreover, when calculating ΔS for seismic, make sure: you have included accidental torsion in your analysis. use strength design load combinations: 1.2D + 1.0E + 0.5L & 0.9D + 1.0E You are using cracked section properties for reinforced concrete buildings. Typical values are Icr walls= 0.5EcIg, Beams = 0.5EcI g & for Columns 0.5 - 0.7 EcIg.