MULTI-level framework to enhance seismic RESilience of RC buildings

ended

MULTIRES aims to develop an advanced, harmonised, multi-level framework to assess earthquake risk of existing Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings in earthquake-prone regions and to design/select practice-oriented, cost-effective, seismic resilience-enhancing solutions (e.g. structural retrofit, risk-transfer products). The framework will benefit several seismic-prone countries (e.g. Greece, Italy, Romania), for which most of the existing buildings are designed according to pre-seismic codes and where RC buildings represent the highest share from 1960s onwards (e.g. 48% in Italy). Two levels of analysis refinement will be considered, single buildings vs. building portfolios, specifically tailored to the expected needs/goals of different stakeholders: building owners and government agencies/(re)insurance companies. A coherent treatment of risk and uncertainty in each project’s task will promote dynamic and informed decision-making aiming at seismic resilience. MULTIRES builds on the probabilistic catastrophe risk modelling expertise of the Earthquake and People Interaction Centre (EPICentre) at the University College London (UCL), UK – the Host Institution - and seismic performance assessment of existing RC building expertise of the Fellow. State of the art/practice will be advanced providing flexible analysis methods for fragility and vulnerability assessment and their implementation tools (e.g. guidelines, computer codes). The framework will be applied to a large-scale building portfolio in Italy, where the Fellow and the Supervisor have strong links with local stakeholders, thus ensuring availability of data, knowledge transfer and true impact of the research on local communities. Through world-leading research training and co-development, the project will contribute to create a holistic culture of risk awareness and resilience in Europe, reflecting a strong commitment to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.