PSI - Issue 78

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

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5. Conclusions

The seismic vulnerability of school buildings in Italy — especially regarding their nonstructural elements — remains a pressing issue. Despite progress in structural retrofitting and inventory mapping, nonstructural risk is still inadequately addressed, both in assessments and in mitigation planning. This review has shown that: • Nonstructural damage contributes significantly to life safety risk and post-event functional disruption; • Current data systems lack the granularity needed to systematically model NSE behavior; • Advanced assessment and retrofit strategies exist but are underused, often due to limited awareness or fragmented responsibilities.

Moving forward, improving the resilience of nonstructural systems in schools requires:

• Integrating NSE-focused modules in national assessment platforms (PELL, IRMA) • Promoting low-cost, high-impact retrofitting measures for ceilings, infill, and furnishings • Expanding school-level risk education and emergency preparedness programs • Prioritizing interventions through MCDA tools that combine risk and social equity

The Italian experience, while marked by challenges, also provides a valuable framework for other countries aiming to protect educational continuity and student safety in seismic regions. Acknowledgements This research was supported by the PELL Public Energy Living Lab activities, funded under the Project 1.7 “Technologies for the efficient penetration of the electric vector in the final uses” within the “Electrical System Research” Programme Agreements 19– 21 between ENEA, Italy (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) and the Italian Ministry of Economic Development. References Aloisio, A., Rosso, M.M., De Leo, A.M., Fragiacomo, M., Basi, M., Damage classification after the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake us ing multinomial logistic regression and neural networks, Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct. 96 (2023) 103959. Angelucci, G., Mollaioli, F., Quaranta, G., Correlation between energy and displacement demands for infilled reinforced concrete frames, Front. Built Environ. 9 (2023) 1198478. Barone, S., Vetturini, R., Seismic retrofit of strategic masonry structures with base isolation technique: The case study of ‘‘giacomo matteotti’’ school building in Gubbio, Italy, 2023. Coleman, J.S., Social capital in the creation of human capital, Am. J. Sociol. 94 (1988) S95 – S120. D’Ayala, D., Galasso, C., Nassirpour, A., Adhikari, R.K., Yamin, L., Fernandez, R., Lo, D., Garciano, L., Oreta, A., Resilien t communities through safer schools, Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct. 45 (2020) 101446. De Angelis, A., Pecce, M., Seismic nonstructural vulnerability assessment in school buildings, Nat. Hazards 79 (2015) 1333 – 1358. Di Ludovico, M., Cattari, S., Verderame, G., Del Vecchio, C., Ottonelli, D., Del Gaudio, C., Prota, A., Lagomarsino, S., Fragility curves of Italian school buildings: derivation from L’Aquila 2009 earthquake damage via observational and heuristic approache s, Bull. Earthq. Eng. 21 (1) (2023) 397 – 432. Faravelli, M., Di Meo, A., Borzi, B., Cantoni, A., Savadori, L., Speranza, E., Dolce, M., SICURO+: A web platform to raise awareness on seismic risk in Italy, Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct. (2024) 104345. Gentile, R., Galasso, C., Idris, Y., Rusydy, I., Meilianda, E., From rapid visual survey to multi-hazard risk prioritisation and numerical fragility of school buildings, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. 19 (7) (2019) 1365 – 1386. Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti, Norme Tecniche per le Costruzioni, 2018.