An expeditious seismic vulnerability assessment method for existing unreinforced masonry buildings in continental Croatia

Abstract

The 2020 earthquakes in Croatia have highlighted the need for rapid assessment methods of buildings, particularly for unreinforced masonry (URM) structures, which are highly susceptible to seismic activity. Large-scale assessment methods that address a large number of buildings need to be expeditious and are typically based on a few vulnerability indicators related to the building characteristics. Acknowledging that existing methods may not be adequate for all building typologies in different geographical regions, this research aims to adapt them to create a tailored vulnerability assessment method for URM buildings in continental Croatia. Detailed information on the characteristics, typology, and architectural design of Croatian URM buildings is currently limited, however, collecting such data is essential for performing reliable seismic vulnerability assessments. The proposed method involves the development of a taxonomy for typical Croatian URM building typologies, enabling a rapid evaluation of their seismic vulnerability based on key data parameters. Sensitivity analysis was done to refine the understanding of their impact of these parameters on the seismic behaviour of these buildings.. The proposal for new expeditious index-based method tailored for Croatian building stock is presented and validated with real data after seismic event.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2026 · DOI ↗