about the project
The majority of the masonry building stock in many urban cities of southern Europe, as in the case of Portugal, lack adequate seismic resistance. Most of these buildings generally require urgent retrofitting interventions in order to reduce their seismic vulnerability and physical risk, particularly for the increased seismic action requirements of recent European code standards [2]. The development of vulnerability assessment methodologies and risk evaluation management tools is therefore a key of issue and the main aim of this project proposal in order to avoid incalculable loss of architectural valued buildings, human causalities and economic losses. The evaluation of the seismic vulnerability of the existent building stock in the perspective of the seismic risk mitigation should not be placed only in relation to the isolated buildings of relevant historical and cultural importance, but also, in relation to building aggregates and façades in urban centres.
Experience from previous research work is the starting point for this research project. From this experience, very soon it was understood that such a process cannot be sustainable without a vulnerability assessment and risk evaluation [3]. This research has shown that the development of a seismic vulnerability assessment approach within the rehabilitation process taking place reduces the financial resources and time consuming stage for assessing the old masonry buildings of the historical city centre in a detailed manner of a large number of buildings. Consequently, the vulnerability assessment results have been used for damage distribution scenarios and loss estimation supporting emergency planning strategies [4].
The historical city centre of Aveiro (521 buildings), Faro (809 building) are the selected continental localised study cases, and the historical city centre of Horta (443 buildings) Faial island in the Azores archipelago is the third case study. The perimeter of these two continental case studies and the selection of these cities is strategically defined. The extensive information available for all the old city centres is assured, therefore motivating. The city of Horta was chosen due to its prone seismic location and also because of the information that is currently available, since part of the research team has in the past years also developed work in the Azores archipelago. The case studies of the historical city centres of Aveiro and Horta will allow to apply the new methodology and improve as well the methodology created through the validation and calibration of the procedure defined in the tasks to be carried out. The uniqueness and future impacts of this research proposal will hopefully be observed: development of a comprehensive database completely integrated within a GIS environment as a risk management guidance tool, enabling to estimate and forecast the direct and indirect consequences of economical and physical impact; establishment and validation of a modular approach for creating building vulnerability databases for other historical centres in urban areas. The innovate feature of this proposal is the approach for vulnerability assessment at the level of masonry building aggregates (group of buildings). From the reconnaissance missions that the team members have incorporated, it is clear that the level of physical damage and single building response is ruled by the global seismic response of the building aggregate. Therefore, the development of vulnerability assessment procedure for building aggregates is a necessary step forward to attain more reliable assessment for masonry building at the urban scale.
This project proposal is strongly supported by the by the University of Aveiro and the City Councils, aiding in the logistics needed to assess old city centre buildings. This project proposal is constituted by a team of experienced researchers on seismology and earthquake engineering. The project has guaranteed the collaboration of experienced consultants in this field with the insight on establishing future joint initiatives.
The majority of the masonry building stock in many urban cities of southern Europe, as in the case of Portugal, lack adequate seismic resistance. Most of these buildings generally require urgent retrofitting interventions in order to reduce their seismic vulnerability and physical risk, particularly for the increased seismic action requirements of recent European code standards [2]. The development of vulnerability assessment methodologies and risk evaluation management tools is therefore a key of issue and the main aim of this project proposal in order to avoid incalculable loss of architectural valued buildings, human causalities and economic losses. The evaluation of the seismic vulnerability of the existent building stock in the perspective of the seismic risk mitigation should not be placed only in relation to the isolated buildings of relevant historical and cultural importance, but also, in relation to building aggregates and façades in urban centres.
Experience from previous research work is the starting point for this research project. From this experience, very soon it was understood that such a process cannot be sustainable without a vulnerability assessment and risk evaluation [3]. This research has shown that the development of a seismic vulnerability assessment approach within the rehabilitation process taking place reduces the financial resources and time consuming stage for assessing the old masonry buildings of the historical city centre in a detailed manner of a large number of buildings. Consequently, the vulnerability assessment results have been used for damage distribution scenarios and loss estimation supporting emergency planning strategies [4].
The historical city centre of Aveiro (521 buildings), Faro (809 building) are the selected continental localised study cases, and the historical city centre of Horta (443 buildings) Faial island in the Azores archipelago is the third case study. The perimeter of these two continental case studies and the selection of these cities is strategically defined. The extensive information available for all the old city centres is assured, therefore motivating. The city of Horta was chosen due to its prone seismic location and also because of the information that is currently available, since part of the research team has in the past years also developed work in the Azores archipelago. The case studies of the historical city centres of Aveiro and Horta will allow to apply the new methodology and improve as well the methodology created through the validation and calibration of the procedure defined in the tasks to be carried out. The uniqueness and future impacts of this research proposal will hopefully be observed: development of a comprehensive database completely integrated within a GIS environment as a risk management guidance tool, enabling to estimate and forecast the direct and indirect consequences of economical and physical impact; establishment and validation of a modular approach for creating building vulnerability databases for other historical centres in urban areas. The innovate feature of this proposal is the approach for vulnerability assessment at the level of masonry building aggregates (group of buildings). From the reconnaissance missions that the team members have incorporated, it is clear that the level of physical damage and single building response is ruled by the global seismic response of the building aggregate. Therefore, the development of vulnerability assessment procedure for building aggregates is a necessary step forward to attain more reliable assessment for masonry building at the urban scale.
This project proposal is strongly supported by the by the University of Aveiro and the City Councils, aiding in the logistics needed to assess old city centre buildings. This project proposal is constituted by a team of experienced researchers on seismology and earthquake engineering. The project has guaranteed the collaboration of experienced consultants in this field with the insight on establishing future joint initiatives.