Reducing the seismic vulnerability of cultural heritage buildings

Due to the effects of aggressive environment (earthquakes, soil settlements, traffic vibrations, air pollution, etc.) and to the fact that many old buildings and historic centres were not subject to continuous maintenance, a large part of this heritage is affected by structural problems that menace the safety of buildings and people. European countries have developed a valuable experience in conservation and restoration. In recent years, large investments have been concentrated in this field, leading to impressive developments in the areas of inspection, non-destructive testing, monitoring and structural analysis of historical constructions. These developments, and the recent guidelines for future reuse and conservation projects, allow for safer, economical and more adequate remedial measures. Being earthquakes a major source of destruction of cultural heritage buildings, this paper focus on a research project funded under the EU-India Economic Cross Cultural Programme from the European Commission. The partners involved in the project are University of Minho (coordinating institution), Portugal, Technical University of Catalonia, Spain, Central Building Research Institute, India, and University of Padova, Italy.