Damage and vulnerability assessment of URM buildings after the 2012 Northern Italy earthquakes

The numerous and historical unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings in Italy are frequently exposed to earthquakes, resulting in casualties as well as both cultural and economic losses. Observations of their performance following recent earthquakes have confirmed that URM buildings warrant special attention in regard to their seismic vulnerability and preservation. Particular attention is required for historical and monumental URM buildings due to their complex structural and geometrical features. Following the 2012 Emilia Romagna, Veneto and Lombardia (also known as Northern Italy) earthquakes, building safety assessments were carried out by several teams of experts. Considering the URM churches, 57% of the inspected buildings were considered unsafe due to the severe level of damage observed, while only 17% were deemed to be safe for access and useand required no further intervention. A damage statistics database was compiled for more than 150 churches located in the Emilia Romagna and Veneto regions and commonly encountered failure patterns are presented herein. Possible and actual initiation of the collapse mechanisms is considered and correlated to the level of damage in order to determine the most vulnerable structural and non-structural elements. In addition, the different earthquake response of the structure in relation to the distance from the epicentre is presented. The results are then compared with similar data inventories compiled after the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake. The reported study aims to improve the knowledge about damage to URM churches from earthquakes, with particular attention to the influence of local construction methods and associated vulnerabilities.