Simplified Seismic Analyses of Ancient Churches in Matera’s Landscape

ABSTRACT

Nowadays, safety assessment under seismic loading of historical masonry buildings, such as ancient churches, is an actual and important topic due to the potential human and economic losses involved even for a partial collapse. Therefore, the prevention and mitigation of their seismic risk would result the best intervention for preserving in the future these monuments of inestimable value.

To date, in literature many methods are available for evaluating the seismic vulnerability and the related risk. In particular, this study focuses on the first two simplified evaluation methods proposed by the current Italian directive containing the guide lines for assessment and reduction of cultural heritage seismic risk. The methods, having an increasing precision level, may be applied in sequence at a different scale for screening and identifying the present priorities, and for designing the required interventions. In this article, these methods are applied to five ancient masonry churches located within the UNESCO site of the “Sassi” of Matera (Italy), a seismic-prone area with moderate seismicity. Afterward, also a new simplified method is applied, in the form of fast appraisal method useful for preliminary ranking the seismic performances of the case studies at a territorial scale.

KEYWORDS:

• Ancient masonry churches
• cultural heritage
• indexes
• monuments
• seismic risk
• seismic vulnerability
• simplified methods

Acknowledgments

The research activity carried out by Daniela Diaz Fuentes has been granted by the ELARCH scholarship and mobility, a project funded under the Erasmus Mundus Action 2 Partnership (EMA2) by the European Commission, and coordinated by the University of Basilicata (www.elarch.org). ELARCH project: Reference number 552129-EM-1-2014-1-IT-ERA MUNDUS-EMA21 funded with support of the European Commission. This document reflects the view only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the European Commission - the Erasmus Mundus Action 2 Partnership (EMA2) [552129-EM-1-2014-1-IT-ERA MUNDUS-EMA21].