Seismic Performance Assessment of the Historical Reggio Calabria Cathedral

Abstract

Italy's church buildings' cultural and architectural significance cannot be overstated. This paper addresses the seismic vulnerability of the cathedral located in Reggio Calabria, Italy. The analysis of this building is interesting as it was retrofitted after the destructive 1908 Messina-Reggio Calabria earthquake. The original design illustrating the static schemes and the considered actions of the church are described. Structural drawings of that time are also reported, which proved to be fundamental for the numerical modelling of the building. The issues and assumptions made during the modelling phase of the structure with the seismic actions are also illustrated. All the transverse and longitudinal frames were analysed using nonlinear analysis to evaluate the seismic capacity and vulnerability indicators in terms of accelerations and periods. The results provided by the modal analysis are presented and discussed to highlight the global dynamic behaviour of the church. The seismic vulnerability indicators have been calculated by considering the seismic actions recommended by the current technical standards and concerning the 1975 Messina earthquake, which represents the most severe earthquake experienced by the church.