PSI - Issue 78

Laura Giovanna Guidi et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 78 (2026) 2154–2161

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facilities, approximately 60% of which were constructed before the introduction of technical standards for school construction (D.M. 1975) and prior to the adoption of seismic-specific design requirements (L64 964). Although nearly 50% of school buildings in Italy are located in areas classified as having medium to high seismic hazard, only around 10% were designed according to seismic safety criteria, and just 48% possess a valid structural certification for gravity loads (Pinto, 2015). The current Italian building code (NTC2018) requires the seismic vulnerability of existing structures to be evaluated through an assessment of their maximum load-bearing capacity. Unlike earlier regulations, which focused on verifying structural resistance to a predefined seismic demand, the current code is aligned with the performance-based seismic engineering (PBSE) framework (Naeim et al., 2001), emphasizing the concept of capacity rather than solely demand. In Italy, many reinforced concrete (R.C.) buildings were constructed between the 1950s and 1970s and were designed to resist only gravity loads (GLD) (Sorrentino et al., 2023) (Brandonisio et al., 2023-a) (Brandonisio et al., 2023-b), prior to the introduction of seismic codes. At that time, not all regions of the country were considered seismic according to the initial classifications. Over the years, however, seismic zoning has been revised following significant earthquake events. The current Italian Building Code, as already established in the 2003 classification, now defines the entire national territory as seismic. The older approach based on four broad seismic zones has been replaced by a more refined method: seismic parameters are continuously updated and derived from seismic hazard analyses, with values estimated for each specific site across a regular grid of nodes (Iervolino et al., 2009). Given the age and characteristics of Italy’s existing building stock, reducing seismic risk has become a critical issue. In this context, the study of gravity-load-designed (GLD) reinforced concrete buildings is particularly relevant, as they represent a large portion of building heritage. This paper evaluates the seismic vulnerability of a R.C. school building located, designed in the 19700s, as an example of a GLD-designed structure. 2. The case study: School Complex Eugenio Barsanti in Pomigliano D’Arco (Naples) 2.1. Historical evolution of the school complex The school building housing the Istituto Tecnico Industriale "E. Barsanti" (Fig. 1) was designed following a public architectural competition launched in 1973. The winning proposal, ranked first, was submitted by architect Michele Capobianco, assisted by Antonio Capobianco and Daniele Zagaria. Construction of the facility took place between 1974 and 1977. The structure was conceived according to the construction standards of the time, emphasizing the expressive potential of exposed reinforced concrete. The primary load-bearing system consists of ordinary reinforced concrete frames, with beams, columns intentionally left visible.

Fig. 1 Aerial and external views of the case study In light of the regulations in force during the period 1972 – 1975, and in particular due to the absence of seismic classification for the Municipality of Pomigliano d’Arco (NA), the building was designed without considering seismic actions, in accordance with the technical codes in effect at the time (Royal Decree No. 193, Royal Decree No. 2179, Presidential Decree No. 1071). As a result, the structural elements were sized exclusively for vertical static loads.