The use of industrial waste in civil engineering applications constitutes a potential innovative effort to reduce environmental degradation and enable a sustainable use of natural resources. This paper reports a comprehensive laboratory study that was performed to evaluate the rubber granulates from End-of-Life Tyres (ELTs) as a lightweight backfill material in retaining walls. Various tests have been performed to provide specific information on the mechanical and physical properties of a detailed range of particle sizes smaller than 12 mm, with six different particle size distributions (S1: 0.0–0.8 mm/S2: 0.6–2.0 mm/S3: 2.0–4.0 mm/S4: 2.0–7.0 mm/S5: 90% 2.0–7.0 mm + 10% 0.6–2.0 mm/S6: 50% 2.0–7.0 mm + 50% 0.6–2.0 mm). The density and unit weight, compaction energy, compressibility, shear strength, and deformability have been evaluated to determine their performance. As a main conclusion, the research confirms that rubber granulates from ELTs possess great potential as backfill material behind retaining walls. The characteristic values of the geotechnical parameters have been estimated according to Eurocode 7. The friction angle results range from 18.27 to 23.21 degrees, and the cohesion results are wide-ranging, with values from 9.35 to 17.83 kPa. For this reason, two cantilever L-shaped retaining walls, selected as representative case studies, have been tested with these sample properties. The results of the geotechnical verifications are presented together with a comparison of the safety factors in accordance with the Spanish standard design (CTE-DB-SE-C) and the European (EC7-1) regulations. The calculations indicate that the overdesign factors (ODF) achieved in the verifications using the material properties of the S4, S5, and S6 combination improve the calculation results obtained if a conventional filler material such as sand is considered.

In order to solve connectivity problems in metropolitan areas, the development of underground metro lines constitutes an unquestionable requirement. However, the construction work thereof encounters unfavourable circumstances when surface excavations must be carried out that cross historical areas of the city, due to the need to control surface movements. The design of the metro in the city of Seville (Spain) from 2004 to 2006 provides a representative example of this situation and triggered major upheavals that exerted repercussions on historical buildings. For these reasons, the excavation stages of Line 1 of this metro have been simulated by numerical methods using FLAC3D software and validated with the results provided by the real conditions. Consequently, various surface settlements have been evaluated by taking not only variates of the main parameters that characterise the soil of Seville, but also of the various load situations and excavation conditions. Notable results have been achieved through calibration of 54 variants of the same model corresponding to Line 1, and their comparison with the real results obtained in nine critical areas of the itinerary. The results obtained have made it possible to determine the effects of excavation on the subsoil of the city of Seville with great accuracy, since the percentage error of calculated vertical surface movements varies from 0.1% to 5.3%.

The seismotectonic conditions of the Iberian Peninsula trigger the occurrence of earthquakes with an occasional periodicity, but with intensities greater than VI on the European macroseismic scale (EMS). For this reason, local action protocols are required in order to efficiently organise the technical inspections that must be carried out on a massive scale after events such as the earthquakes experienced in the Spanish cities of Lorca (2011) and Melilla (2016). This paper proposes the development of a set of documents for the evaluation and diagnosis of the state of existing buildings and infrastructure regarding seismic activity in Andalusia. With special attention paid to residential typology, approximations have been carried out to the normative context, to general comparatives, to particular analyses of a case studies selection, and to complementary approaches. The results have led to the establishment of two specific protocols. Firstly, the short-term guideline enables the classification of damage and risk levels, and the determination of what immediate interventions should be carried out through the generation of a preliminary on-site report. This activity can be performed by architects and engineers with the help of a mobile-device application (APP IT-Sismo Andalucía). Additionally, a long-term protocol provides calculation procedures and constructive solutions for the improvement of the seismic behaviour of affected buildings. Specially designed tests demonstrate the validity of the protocols and illustrate the need for information and communication technologies (ICT) tools in the evaluation of architectonic technical aspects.

The need for sustainable urban growth management and preventive conservation of built elements constitute the key factors in today’s increasing demand for the better understanding of subsoil. This information, mainly available from geotechnical surveys, can be integrated into spatial databases to produce operational models. Aiming to generate strategies that enable the visualisation of underground properties in highly anthropised environments, the following four-phase methodology has been proposed: (a) Gathering of geotechnical data; (b) Spatial and statistical analysis; (c) Database design; (d) Generation of 2D and 3D models. Following the aforementioned criteria and using open sources, a spatial dataset of 650 points located within the historical centre of Seville (Spain) has been developed. This urban area is characterised by the heterogeneous distribution of its soil layers and their geotechnical properties. The results show that the application of this method enables a prompt and efficient display of the distribution of geotechnical layers in urban and metropolitan environments, by considering the variations in their mechanical properties. This simplified approach therefore establishes a new starting point for the development of predictive strategies based on approaches of a more complex nature that facilitate the analysis of the interactions between subsoil, buildings, and infrastructures.

Preventive conservation (PC) of built heritage has proved to be one of the most efficient and sustainable approaches to ensure its long-term preservation. Nevertheless, the management of all the areas involved in a PC project is complex, often resulting in poor interaction between them. This research proposes a GIS-based methodology for integrating data from different PC areas into a centralised digital model, establishing a Common Data Environment (CDE) to optimise PC strategies for heritage systems in complex contexts. Applying this method to the pavilions of the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition in Seville (Spain), the study addresses five key PC areas: active follow-up, damage detection and assessment, risk analysis, maintenance, and dissemination and valorisation. The approach involved designing a robust relational database structure—using PostgreSQL—tailored for heritage management, defining several data standardisation criteria, and testing semi-automated procedures for generating multi-scale 2D and 3D GIS (LOD2 and LOD4) entities using remote sensing data sources. The proposed spatial database has been designed to function seamlessly with major GIS platforms (QGIS and ArcGIS Pro), demonstrating successful integration and interoperability for data management, analysis, and decision-making. Geographic web services derived from the database content were created and uploaded to a WebGIS platform. While limitations exist, this research demonstrates that simplified GIS models are sufficient for managing PC data across various working scales, offering a resource-efficient alternative compared to more demanding existing methods.