Identification of Building Envelope Characteristics to Reduce Vulnerability against Earthquakes and Meteorological Hazards

Abstract:

The building envelope is particularly vulnerable to natural hazards, and it requires new solutions to combine the need for adaptation with the need to mitigate natural hazards. As global temperatures rise, extreme weather events become more frequent, and urban heat islands form, innovative solutions are crucial to mitigate damage and improve building performance. This article aims to identify characteristics of building envelope elements to reduce damage related to the effects of a set of natural hazards of interest, i.e., meteorological and seismic events. The article begins by identifying and quantifying the natural hazards that primarily affect building envelopes. It then examines the impact of these hazards on various envelope elements. The results are a list of performance-based interventions to reduce the vulnerability of envelope technical elements against the hazards of interest. This study offers preliminary results from a broader analysis aimed at quantifying risks to urban environments due to vulnerable building envelope elements. It calls for a reassessment of the typological and performance characteristics of building envelopes to better withstand natural hazards.

• Periodical: Advances in Science and Technology (Volume 159)
• Pages: 113-118
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-pGZU61
• Online since: January 2025
• Authors: Enrico Pasquale Zitiello*, Rossella Marmo, Mariacarla Fraiese, Roberto Castelluccio, Antonio Salzano
• Keywords: Adaptation Strategies, Building Envelope, Natural Hazards, Vulnerability

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