PSI - Issue 78

Cristoforo Demartino et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 78 (2026) 2126–2132

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3. Seismic risk assessment approaches

The evaluation of seismic risk in Italian school buildings has historically relied on simplified procedures, primarily due to the sheer size of the national school inventory and the need to support large-scale prioritization. Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) methods, such as the MIUR and PdCM Level 1 – 2 forms, have been extensively used across regions to identify critical buildings based on basic geometric, typological, and qualitative indicators, Saler et al. 2023, Ruggieri et al. 2020. While these tools have proven effective in mapping general vulnerabilities, they often fail to account for nonstructural elements and cannot capture complex interactions arising from irregular layouts or construction phases. To overcome these limitations, several national initiatives have supported the development of more refined assessment methods. Advanced numerical modeling approaches — such as nonlinear static or time-history analyses — have been applied to representative school archetypes, enabling the derivation of fragility curves for both structural and nonstructural components. These curves, calibrated on experimental and post- earthquake data (e.g., L’Aquila 2009), allow for a probabilistic estimation of damage levels as a function of seismic intensity measures, Di Ludovico et al. 2023, Ruggieri et al. 2021. Yet, one of the main challenges remains the limited availability of detailed building-level data, especially for nonstructural configurations. Suspended ceilings, piping systems, infill panels, and anchorage details are rarely documented systematically, leading to significant uncertainties in model predictions. Furthermore, many schools are the result of successive additions and retrofits, making them geometrically and functionally complex. An emerging solution lies in hybrid assessment frameworks, combining rapid screening for broad classification with targeted advanced modeling for high-priority or high-risk buildings. Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE) approaches, as adapted from the PEER methodology, have been tested on schools to estimate expected losses not only in terms of physical damage but also functionality downtime and safety impacts , O’Reilly et al. 2018 . To

Fig. 3 – Probability of DS from proposed model for damaged school buildings

better understand the vulnerability of school buildings, Figure 31 shows the fragility curves for representative Italian reinforced concrete school buildings designed for gravity loads.