Earthquake: A “quality label" for the seismic safety of buildings

Promoting seismic risk prevention awareness through the dissemination of the quality label "Sisma Safe", the first in Italy on the static and seismic safety of buildings. This is the objective of the agreement between ENEA and SismaSafe for the diffusion of seismic safety awareness and quality of design and construction of public and private buildings like schools, hospitals, hotels, offices, companies and houses .

"Sisma Safe", created by the namesake cultural association born in the Marches following the earthquake that hit central Italy in 2016, will be issued to building owners fulfilling a strict set of criteria.  It will make it possible to identify earthquake-proof structures at a glance, raising the awareness that it is possible to intervene on buildings in order to feel safe from seismic risk.

Under the agreement, ENEA [1] contributes to the drafting of the technical specification for the definition of the criteria for issuing quality labels [2]. The Agency also contributes to the appointment of the technical committees charged with evaluating the documentation submitted by the owners, as well as to consulting for issuing the label, providing its expertise and skills and participating in information and training events for technicians and citizens.

"Italy has technical-scientific knowledge and effective standards for designing and building new structures with a high degree of safety, but strict controls are, of course, necessary” said Paolo Clemente, ENEA engineer, member of the technical-scientific committee of the Associazione Sisma Safe together with his colleague Giacomo Buffarini.

"We also believe that the newly built structures and the interventions on the existing ones are designed not only with the aim of avoiding collapse, but also in order to reduce as much as possible the damage during seismic events, limiting the costs and times of reconstruction and, therefore, aiming for greater resilience. This objective can easily pursued by adopting modern anti-seismic technologies, such as insulation at the base. The Sisma Safe is an important step in recognizing new structures that, in addition to complying with current technical standards, are inspired by professional building criteria and existing structures that have been improved to achieve acceptable levels of safety, " Clemente concluded.

ENEA is at the forefront of seismic risk research, particularly the seismic vulnerability of civil and industrial structures of historical and artistic interest and their seismic adaptation through innovative technologies; on seismic hazard, through microzonation studies, an indispensable tool for spatial planning, and analysis of the local seismic response, which allows to evaluate the changes that the seismic motion undergoes due to the geological and geotechnical conditions in the superficial layers of the ground. Furthermore, ENEA has a primary role in the development and application of innovative anti-seismic technologies for common buildings, structures of historical and artistic interest, as well as plants at risk of major accidents, bridges and infrastructures in general.

The label is a positive symbol, whose purpose is underlying the commitment of the owners in creating buildings or making structural interventions aimed at ensuring the safety of users", Francesca Ottavio, vice president of the Association Sisma Safe, said. "We hope to change the perception people have of the seismic risk, making public opinion focus on prevention, as no law enforcement, if not extremely punitive, has succeded in doing. I am interested in the safety of the structures surrounding us, that’s why we especially address the tourism sector, for which the quality label can help promote and communicate the safety of accommodation facilities throughout Italy and be a driving force in offering  travelers the guarantee of a tranquil holiday ", Ottavio concluded.

For more information please contact:

Paolo Clemente, ENEA – Laboratory of Technologies for the Dynamics of Structures and  the Prevention of the Seismic and Hydrogeological Risk , paolo.clemente@enea.it

Giacomo Buffarini, ENEA – Laboratory of Technologies for the Dynamics of Structures and  the Prevention of the Seismic and Hydrogeological Risk, giacomo.buffarini@enea.it

To request the Sisma Safe label:

• sismasafe.org
• associazione@sismasafe.org

[1] ENEA is a member of the technical-scientific committee "Sisma Safe" together with the University of Camerino and AICQ (Italian Association of Quality Culture).

[2] SISMA SAFE and SISMA SAFE GOLD. The latter identifies those buildings designed with a higher degree of safety, for example, pursued with modern anti-seismic technologies.