A Dissipating Frames for Seismic Retrofitting and Building Energy-Efficiency

Abstract

In the present paper a new and innovative way to approach the regeneration of public buildings and public housing is proposed. It consists in a dissipative steel frame to reduce the displacement demand and to improve the energy efficiency of a real existing structure, inserting buckling-restrained axial dampers (BRAD) type dissipative braces. This system is adaptable to any construction made of reinforced concrete frames and improves energy efficiency and earthquake-resistant performance; moreover, it upgrades the aesthetics of buildings and the quality of life for the users. In fact, the system is capable of assuming different and pleasant architectural shapes offering benefits in terms of earthquake-resistant performance, energy saving, and energy production from renewable sources. The attention to the aesthetic results renders the intervention a redevelopment strategy not only on an architectural scale, but also in the urban contexts for degraded and marginalized suburbs. The performances of the proposed kit were evaluated on a case study consisting in a social house located in the south of Italy. Numerical analyses have been carried out and the results have been reported both from the seismic protection and energy efficiency points of view. As a result, the produced renewable energy from the retrofitting system and the building seismic capacity increased. A rapid and precise control process, able to return a suitable structural dimensioning of the frame, according to the different application contexts, is finally proposed.