NEW VULNERABILITY MODELS OF TYPICAL BUILDINGS IN URBAN AREAS:
Applications to seismic risk assessment and target retrofitting methodology
About 2BeSafe Project
Interdisciplinary project in the field of earthquake engineering, with a particular focus on assessing the vulnerability of substandard buildings in urban areas that contribute significantly to seismic risk and the possibilities to strengthen them using retrofitting. The project takes a unique and comprehensive approach to mitigate the effects of an earthquake at the prevention stage. Such an innovative approach, using state-of-the-art experimental tests and detailed numerical analysis, allows the identification of the collapse mechanisms of a structure and critical structural elements, and the proposal of new vulnerability models, enabling the development of a new methodology for optimal retrofitting.
Project Objectives
The establishment of research group
The establishment of a new interdisciplinary research group, trained by international centres of knowledge and excellence in the field, as centre for excellence for advanced seismic performance evaluation and retrofit of buildings, and assessment of seismic risk.
Identification of typical building classes with expected high vulnerability
To identify ten most vulnerable building types (5 RC and 5 masonry) in the urban areas of the region which are estimated to be the most vulnerable with regard to seismic risk.
Seismic hazard definition
Define the model of seismic hazard which is applicable to observed region and to choose existing and develop new ground acceleration records and corresponding response spectra accordingly, in order to numerically simulate earthquake loading.
Seismic performance assessment of buildings
To assess seismic performance of selected vulnerable building types to earthquakes of various intensity levels and to determine their vulnerability models, collapse mechanisms and critical structural elements, using advanced numerical models and analysis methods.
Development of methodology for target retrofit and seismic performance assessment of retrofitted buildings
To establish new methodology for target retrofit of substandard buildings and to assess seismic performance of retrofitted buildings.
Project proposals applied for other funding sources
Collaboration with leading researchers in the field that will position the research group as the centre of excellence for advanced assessments of building performance, seismic risk assessments and methodology of target retrofit.
Latest News
25. February 2026.
The 2BESAFE fragility models for different building types have been published on Zenodo: 2BESAFE repository of fragility and vulnerability models (v1.0), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18385824.
The repository includes CSV files with the data needed to define fragility curves for different building types, and a PDF describing each analysed building type.
19. January 2026.
The 2BESAFE final conference was a resounding success!
We would like to thank all participants for fruitful discussions, and especially to all keynote and invited lecturers for interesting and highly relevant presentations.
3. November 2025.
36TH DAAAM INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON INTELLIGENT
MANUFACTURING AND AUTOMATION, organized by Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria, EU; on 30.10.2025 and 31.10.2025, was attended by member of research group