Strategies of Urban Aggregation for Cultural Heritage Protection: Evaluation of the Effect of Facade Layout on the Seismic Behavior of Terraced Masonry Buildings

Maria Rosa Valluzzi ()
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Maria Rosa Valluzzi: Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Padova, Piazza Capitaniato 7, 35139 Padova, Italy

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-22

Abstract: Aggregate masonry buildings in historic urban centers constitute tangible testimony of collective identity and historical continuity. They encompass both simple terraced configurations and more intricate clusters, which are inherently vulnerable to earthquake-induced damage, due to their typological features and the transformations that occurred in the course of time. Strategies aimed at the protection and valorization of such typical architectural heritage should be based on the recognition of their peculiarities, so that the intangible values embedded within the historic fabric can be preserved. A simplified approach able to identify the effect of facade layout on the vulnerability of terraced buildings was validated on a historical center struck by the Central Italy earthquake. It is based on the evaluation of vulnerability factors derived by the application of a multi-level procedure on a large scale, which integrates data on typological and structural aspects, as well as on the condition state and previous interventions. In the center in question, the evidence of prevalent shear damage in the continuous frontage of the buildings facing the main street suggested the in-depth analysis of the facade’s characteristics, and its relationship with the main direction of the seismic swarm. Starting from a preliminary abacus of twelve vulnerability factors, 16 archetypes of facades at increasing vulnerability defined by a combination of the most significant geometrical features of building aggregates were identified. These virtual models encompass typical features that can be found in similar buildings in different contexts, thus enabling preventive actions based on parametric assessment.

Keywords: masonry buildings; terraced buildings; clustered buildings; urban aggregates; minor centers; seismic damage; seismic vulnerability; conservation; facade layout; typological analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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