The framework for life cycle sustainability analysis (LCSA) developed within the project CALCAS (Co-ordination Action for innovation in Life-Cycle Analysis for Sustainability) is introducing a truly integrated approach for sustainability studies. However, it needs to be further conceptually refined and to be made operational. In particular, one of the gaps still hindering the adoption of integrated analytic tools for sustainability studies is the lack of a clear link between the goal and scope definition and the modeling phase. This paper presents an approach to structure the goal and scope phase of LCSA so as to identify the relevant mechanisms to be further detailed and analyzed in the modeling phase. The approach is illustrated with an on-going study on a new technology for the production of high purity hydrogen from biomass, to be used in automotive fuel cells.

A simple graphic procedure for the optimum design of elastomeric seismic isolation devices is proposed. Starting from the design requirements concerning a base-isolated building, such as the device’s stiffness, maximum displacement, and vertical load, as well as the code checks on the device, the procedure allows defining the optimum values of the mechanical and geometrical parameters, such as rubber shear modulus, diameter, and thickness, and the number of rubber and steel layers. In more detail, the procedure allows for first identifying the ranges of the geometrical characteristics through a graphic representation of code checks in terms of the rubber’s diameter and volume, and then their specific values that allow one to obtain the optimum solution according to the design requirements for any fixed values of the mechanical characteristics of the materials. The graphic representation represents a suitable tool to better understand the role and influence of the different checks. The procedure can be easily automated by means of a computer code.

There are many existing buildings for which seismic rehabilitation interventions are required, especially in earthquake-prone areas like Italy. At the same time, the huge energy cost increase in Europe highlights the need for sustainable techniques that are able to increase the energy efficiency of buildings. These issues are even more significant for weak social groups living in social housing buildings, often in poor and vulnerable conditions. In order to address the solution regarding building renovations from the social, structural, and energy efficiency perspectives, in the framework of the Horizon Europe REHOUSE (Renovation packagEs for HOlistic improvement of EU’s bUildingS Efficiency, maximizing RES generation and cost-effectiveness) Project, this paper proposes an integrated methodology of building assessment that was tested on a social housing building in Margherita di Savoia, a small town of Apulia Region, Italy. In addition to the structural and energy aspects, the social one is particularly important since the building is located in the “Capitanata Area”, considered to be one of the most socially vulnerable areas in Italy. For this reason, an assessment methodology must consider reducing the overall impact of the assessment activities while explaining to tenants the purpose of the assessment and future renovation actions, maintaining the accuracy of the assessment results. Therefore, this study outlines an assessment methodology, demonstrated through its application to the case study building, that integrates the structural, energy, and social aspects, showing that the tenants’ involvement is also crucial for the technical evaluations. The final result is a low-impact approach for the building knowledge gathering needed to start a deep renovation intervention in social housing.

In recent years, innovative Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) techniques, applicable for the assessment of existing civil structures, have become available for in situ analysis on Reinforced Concrete (RC) and masonry structures, but they are still not established for regular inspections, especially after seismic events. The damage assessment of RC buildings after seismic events is a very relevant issue in Italy, where most of the structures built in the last 50 years are RC structures. Furthermore, there is also a growing interest in being able to monitor structural health aspects by storing them on the building’s digital twin. For these reasons, it is necessary to develop an affordable and ready-to-use NDT procedure that provides more accurate indications on the real state of damage of reinforced concrete buildings after seismic events and to integrate these data into an interoperable digital twin for automated, optimized building performance monitoring, management, and preventive maintenance. To this end, a case study was conducted on a building in the Marche region in Italy, damaged by the 2016 earthquake. Non-destructive tests were performed and inserted into the LIS platform for the creation of a digital twin of the building. This platform seamlessly manages, visualizes, and analyzes the collected data and integrates various sensor nodes deployed throughout the building. The paper also presents a methodology to simplify the work of the test operator and make the entire process of knowledge of the building faster and more sustainable through a QR-code interface.

Experimental vibrational analysis is used in the knowledge process of a historic building, made of confined masonry, a construction system suggested in the reconstruction after the 1915 earthquake at Avezzano, Italy. The building was the primary subject of the usual experimental campaign to verify the structural geometry, the characteristics of the materials and the permanent loads. Then, a detailed experimental vibration analysis was carried out. Data were analysed both in the frequency and in the time domains. This combined approach allowed us to point out the importance of the floor deformability on the dynamic behaviour of the structure. A finite element model was set up using the equivalent frame method and calibrated on the basis of the experimental vibrational analysis results. The constitutive law of the confined masonry was fine-tuned, following the literature and present standard suggestions. The pushover analyses allowed us to uncover the behaviour factor of the structure and the seismic safety index, which was found to be quite low and very similar to that obtained via a response spectrum analysis.