Vulnerability analysis and assessment of built cultural heritage requires a multidisciplinary approach for effectively dealing with both the “knowledge path,” which represents the first fundamental step of the procedure, and the subsequent structural analysis and the potential risk mitigation intervention design. In this article, this approach is presented with reference to the Tempietto Barbaro, designed by Andrea Palladio, which was selected as a particularly significant case study able to evidence the mandatory role of all the involved competences. Particular attention was paid to the contribution of historical analyses and critical survey processes, which demonstrate to be necessary steps to identify potential vulnerabilities, understand actual mechanical behavior, and to address the realization of the effective structural models, also in view of designing adequate retrofit solutions.

Recent earthquakes have highlighted a general inadequacy of the existing building stock in Italy and the need to address this critical issue by increasing its structural resilience. At the same time, the problem of energy consumption in existing residential and commercial buildings is increasingly significant and incompatible with the environmental targets set by governments. Considering all the aforementioned aspects, the seismic upgrading of existing buildings, based on the use of an eco-friendly and sustainable technology, has become more and more relevant and different intervention approaches have been developed. This paper aims to provide a multidisciplinary approach for the performance assessment of an eco-friendly and sustainable RC-framed skin for integrated refurbishment of existing buildings. A preliminary description of such skin technology is provided with particular attention to the simultaneous improvement of structural (e.g., seismic) and non-structural (e.g., energy, acoustic) performances and to issues concerning the limitation of invasiveness and interruption of use of the building. Technological details and in situ installation phases are described with special regard to connection and interaction with the existing building. Procedures for the assessment of upgraded building performances, in terms of seismic capacity and thermo-hygrometric and acoustic performances, are defined and applied to a selected basic cell structure. The feasibility and sustainability of the proposed upgrading intervention is finally investigated by means of a holistic Life Cycle Assessment for environmental impact and Life Cycle Cost for an economic evaluation. Finally, results from a multidisciplinary performance assessment are critically discussed by relating the performance aspects to the technological and installation issues.

This paper illustrates a multidisciplinary approach aimed at the vulnerability assessment of historic masonry heritage in Venice, focusing on questions of method and practice, which specifically involve the disciplines of restoration, building archaeology and structural engineering. Taking into account the existing standards for the management and assessment of cultural heritage, an integrated methodology is proposed for analyzing and interpreting historic constructions. Particular reference is made to Venetian scenery and its relationship with water, from the worldwide known high tide phenomena to the new perspectives offered by MOSE (i.e., Experimental Electromechanical Module, a system of a series of retractable mobile gates) and the new challenges due to climate change. Within such an approach, the different disciplines, including the building archeology, contribute to obtaining an interpretative model for historic buildings subjected to the high tide phenomena, with the aim of performing a vulnerability assessment and to design possible restoration interventions. The proposed methodology is applied to the case study of a Venetian historic palace facing the Grand Canal. For this palace, all the steps of the knowledge path have been carried out, from historical study to geometrical, Material-Constructive Survey, Crack Pattern and Degradation Analysis to stratigraphic analysis. The interpretative model obtained at the end of this path is enriched with the results of preliminary numerical analyses that investigate, in greater depth, the effects of high water phenomena on the rising damp front in masonry walls. Some previsions on the effects of MOSE activation and of climatic change, in particular in terms of sea-level rise, are presented.

Monitoring the structural health of bridges in road infrastructure is crucial for ensuring public safety and efficient maintenance. This paper presents a multi-level semi-automatic methodology for bridge monitoring, using Multi-Temporal Differential SAR Interferometry (MT-DInSAR) data. The proposed approach requires a dataset of satellite-derived MT-DInSAR measurements for the Area of Interest. The methodology involves creating a georeferenced database of bridges which allows the filtering of measurement points (generally named Persistent Scatterers—PSs) using spatial queries. Since existing datasets often provide only point geometries for bridge locations, additional data sources such as OpenStreetMaps-derived repositories have been utilized to obtain linear representations of bridges. These linear features are segmented into 20 m sections, which are then converted into polygonal geometries by applying a uniform buffer. Spatial joining between the bridge polygons and PS datasets allows the extraction of key statistics, such as mean displacement velocity, PS density and coherence levels. Based on predefined velocity thresholds, warning flags are triggered, indicating the need for further in-depth analysis. Finally, an upscaling step is performed to provide a practical tool for infrastructure managers, visually categorizing bridges based on the presence of flagged pixels. The proposed approach facilitates large-scale bridge monitoring, supporting the early detection of potential structural issues.