Earthquake Engineering: Safety and Resilience for Communities

Italy has a high seismic hazard due to its geological and tectonic configuration. Events such as the 2016 Amatrice earthquake and, in the past, those of L’Aquila in 2009, Irpinia in 1980, and Friuli in 1976 have highlighted how crucial it is to protect communities and infrastructures from the destructive energy of seismic phenomena. In this context, earthquake engineering plays a pivotal role in ensuring the safety of buildings, reducing earthquake damage, and, above all, safeguarding human lives.

What is earthquake engineering?

Earthquake engineering is a branch of civil engineering that studies the behaviour of structures during earthquakes and, consequently, techniques and technologies to reduce the impact of earthquakes on buildings and design safe and resilient constructions.

Earthquake engineering works on a broad spectrum of all available structural types to assess their criticalities and possible improvements. It considers all parties involved in both new construction and existing construction.

Concerning new construction, earthquake engineering evaluates new design approaches and innovative technologies with a strong focus on environmental impact.

In the field of existing buildings, it intervenes by studying structures’ vulnerabilities and proposing seismic improvement and/or adaptation interventions. These studies are critical in countries like Italy, which has an impressive historical and artistic heritage.

Also not to be neglected is the study of what are identified as non-structural elements, i.e., all those components that serve the building’s functioning and use but do not have a ‘load-bearing’ function.

All these activities, which were initially conducted at the scientific and industrial research level, translate into practical regulatory updates, guidelines, design criteria, and technology development. The technical reference standards to be considered in the sector are undoubtedly the Technical Standards for Construction (NTC) in force in Italy and Eurocode 8 (EN 1998), which is currently being updated.

Why is earthquake engineering necessary?

Earthquakes are a real risk factor for society as they can cause:

– Loss of life, mainly due to the collapse of buildings and infrastructure.

– Material damage to homes, schools, hospitals, institutional sites, and transport networks.

– Significant economic impact, with interruptions in production activities and enormous expenses for reconstructing what was damaged.

– Social problems, including mass displacement, delays in resuming activities, and psychological distress.

According to data from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), more than 16,000 seismic events were recorded in Italy during 2023. This high number of tremors, of which fortunately only a significant amount of energy is released, underlines the need for preventive actions and a systematic adaptation of the existing building stock.

In this perspective, tools such as the Sismabonus, which offers tax incentives to those who intervene to make their homes or the buildings they live in earthquake-proof, prove to be fundamental in encouraging prevention. Dealing with seismic risk is a regulatory obligation and an ethical duty towards the community.

Innovation and Research in Earthquake Engineering

Earthquake engineering is a constantly evolving field in which scientific research, experimentation, and the use of technologically advanced tools contribute to improving the performance of structures. The main areas of innovation include:

1. Innovative Materials
2. Advanced Simulation Software
3. Vibration Control Systems
4. Real-Time Structural Monitoring
5. Study of Soil Effects

 Earthquake engineering is based on a multidisciplinary approach involving civil engineering, geotechnics, applied physics, geology, seismology, and even artificial intelligence, which is used to quickly analyse large amounts of data. This integration of expertise allows for progressively improving knowledge design methodologies and making buildings increasingly safe and society increasingly prepared and resilient.

Towards a Resilient Community

It is not simply a matter of ‘building stronger buildings’ but of developing organic strategies for seismic risk reduction, which include:

– Conscious spatial planning, considering the areas with the highest seismic hazard.

– Adaptation and constant maintenance of the existing building stock.

– Training and awareness-raising of the population so that they are prepared and know how to behave in an earthquake (good behavioural practices, evacuation plans, assembly points, etc.).

– Collaboration between institutions, universities, research organisations, companies, and professionals to promote new technologies and provide technical support to municipalities.

With an integrated and forward-looking approach, earthquake engineering has thus become the core of a comprehensive prevention system in which new buildings are designed according to state-of-the-art anti-seismic criteria. In contrast, the existing building stock is progressively adapted or reinforced.

Investing in research, innovation, and seismic prevention is essential to building a safer and more resilient future. The role of earthquake engineering, supported by up-to-date regulations, advanced technologies, and economic incentives, appears indispensable in areas such as Italy. By adopting scientifically tested solutions and promoting a culture of prevention, it will be possible to safeguard human lives, reduce material damage, and preserve our country’s precious historical and cultural heritage.

The challenge of seismic safety cannot be postponed: the knowledge acquired over these decades, combined with future advances in research, will enable us to protect our cities and the generations to come, helping to create more substantial and more cohesive communities.