2nd General Meeting KnowRISK Knowyour city, Reduce seISmic risKthrough non-structural elements.

Riassunto

The European project KnowRISK (Know your city, reduce seISmic risK through non-structural elements) is
a European Commission project in the area of Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection whose primary aim is
the reduction of seismic risk by actions on non-structural elements that can be performed by common
citizens, thus contributing to promote communities fast recovery and resilience.
Even though the main source of victims in earthquakes is the collapse of constructions, damage in nonstructural
elements also contributes to increase the death toll. In many situations, especially in developed
countries, non-structural damage is the main source of economic losses. And developed societies have
become increasingly demanding in what regards the control of economic losses due to seismic events. A key
factor for the reduction of economic losses is the protection of non-structural elements, this is, the contents of
buildings and non-structural elements of the building, which usually account for 70% to 80% of its cost. In
the cases of seismic events, where there isn’t a large number of victims, economic losses becomes one of the
strongest consequences of earthquakes. This is the case for well-built buildings, as the enforcement of
modern codes of practice for earthquake resistant design...