Ricerc@Sapienza

In the last decade innovative damage-control technologies have been developed to improve the seismic performance of structural and non-structural components. A cost/performance-based evaluation is demanded to select the most efficient high-performance whilst cost-affordable integrated building system, capable of sustaining design level earthquakes with limited damage, minor downtime and reduced socio-economic losses.The paper initially provides an overview on low-damage solutions developed in recent years for structural and non-structural elements.

Non-structural components are typically not designed for seismic loads, nevertheless their response can significantly affect the building functionality after earthquakes, even for low-intensity events. The poor performance of non-structural elements can result in substantial economic losses and business interruption. Consequently, damage of these components has severe impact in the post-earthquake building recovery in addition to the potential risk to life safety.