LEARNING OUTCOMES

The workshop aims to integrate the knowledge acquired in the structural area into an application path that, starting from the knowledge of the existing building, through the assessment of its safety and structural diagnosis, leads to the design of structural strengthening (where needed), taking into account all the technical, functional, economic and conservation issues that always characterise actual retrofitting problems.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The participation of the students in “Structural Rehabilitation Workshop” activities, as well as individual study, will allow them to:

• know the main diagnostic techniques to analyse the structure of an existing building as well as to evaluate its mechanical properties;
• design suitable and feasible diagnostic plans of an existing structure;
• assess the crack pattern of an existing structure and represent it in drawings;
• evaluate the deformation of an existing structure through the analysis of the geometrical survey and represent it in drawings;
• analyse the crack pattern and deformations of an existing structure to identify its potential mechanisms of collapse;
• develop a reliable structural model of an existing building able to represent its main constructive features and/or its potential collapse mechanisms with an affordable computational effort;
• assess the structural safety of an existing structure through the safety assessment methods available in building codes;
• based on the results of the structural analysis and safety assessment, evaluate if an existing structure needs strengthening interventions, or monitoring systems or nothing;
• in case strengthening interventions are needed, design them taking into account technical, functional, economic and conservation issues;
• write a report describing all the steps needed to assess the safety of an existing structure and design the strengthening interventions;
• make the drawings needed to describe the strengthening interventions of an existing structure;
• evaluate the costs of the strengthening interventions.

PREREQUISITES

Contents of the following courses: Structural Modelling and Analysis of Existing Buildings, Structural and Geotechnical Assessment of Existing Buildings, Structural Retrofitting and Strengthening Techniques.

TEACHING METHODS

Theoretical lessons and description of case studies

Practical exercises in groups of 3/4 students

On-site visits

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course consists of theoretical lectures and practical exercises.

Theoretical lectures will be related to the following topics:

1. Diagnostic techniques: type of tests and main outcomes.  
2. Crack and deformation analysis: interpretation and representation techniques.
3. Structural modelling and analysis of existing buildings: tricks and tips for finite element modelling, macro-element modelling and macro-blocks modelling.  
4. Design of intervention techniques: structural modelling, constructive building site problems, evaluation of costs.

In most of the cases, the topics will be faced by means of case studies.

The practical exercises will be carried out in groups of 3/4 students. One real building will be assigned to each group. Starting from the geometrical survey and historical information, that will be provided by the teachers, the students will carry out the entire path of knowledge, analysis, and structural assessment of the building. Finally, the students will evaluate whether strengthening interventions are needed and will design them, evaluating their costs.