Department of Property and the Faculty of Engineering and Design jointly host visiting scholar seminar
Professor Francesca da Porto of the University of Padova presented research on large-scale seismic risk assessment, prioritisation and cost-effective retrofit strategies for existing unreinforced masonry buildings.
The Department of Property and the Faculty of Engineering and Design jointly hosted a seminar by Professor Francesca da Porto of the University of Padova on Thursday, 10 September 2026 in Room 260-321.
In her presentation, Risk analysis, prioritization and retrofit strategies to support mitigation policies for existing URM buildings", Professor da Porto examined the large-scale seismic risk assessment of existing residential and school buildings. She approached the problem both from the perspective of the owners and managers of large building portfolios and from a wider territorial perspective at regional and national scale.
The research was initially developed within the framework of Italy’s National Risk Assessment, through the creation of new mechanics-based fragility curves for Italian masonry residential buildings. Fragility models for retrofitted buildings and a seismic retrofit cost model were then developed to support the selection of cost-effective mitigation strategies. At the building stock level, Professor da Porto outlined how a combination of qualitative and quantitative mechanical models allows for an expeditious evaluation of seismic vulnerability, making it possible to create priority lists for subsequent interventions.
The presentation also considered how energy and social aspects can be integrated into the broader framework for seismic risk assessment and mitigation, and drew on applications of territorial analyses as well as applications to real building stocks at municipal, regional and national scale.
Professor da Porto is a Professor of Structural Engineering at the University of Padova, where her research focuses on the seismic vulnerability of existing masonry structures and on procedures for seismic risk assessment at urban and territorial scales. She is a member of the Italian Government Great Risks Commission and currently serves as Vice Rector for Sustainability and for the New Padova Hospital.
The one-hour presentation was followed by an active question and answer session, with attendees engaging closely with the methods and the policy implications of the research.