Abstract:Based on the structure damages in earthquake, the structure performance was classified into five levels. The inter story drift was adopted as the quantitative control index of the deformation,and the relationship among the damages, the five level performance and the inter story drift was also revealed. This classification was built on the basis of the three level performance according to “Chinese code for seismic design of building (GB50011 2010)”, which provided more options for designers and owners. Meanwhile,based on the “cost effectiveness” criterion and seismic hazard analysis,a modified structural life cycle cost model was presented. The proposed model considered not only the structural initial cost but also the failure loss expectation on different performance levels. The model is of great significance to the performance based seismic design, which pays full attention to the performance of structures, security and social economy.