Climatic loads on structures are commonly defined under the assumption of stationary climate conditions; but, as confirmed by recent studies, they can significantly vary because of climate change effects, with relevant impacts not only for the design of new structures but also for the assessment of the existing ones. In this paper, a general methodology to evaluate the influence of climate change on climatic actions is presented, based on the analysis of observed data series and climate projections. Illustrative results in terms of changes in characteristic values of temperature, precipitation, snow, and wind loads are discussed for Italy and Germany, with reference to different climate models and radiative forcing scenarios. In this way, guidance for potential amendments in the current definition of climatic actions in structural codes is provided. Finally, the influence of climate change on the long-term structural reliability is estimated for a specific case study, showing the potential of the proposed methodology.

In the architecture, engineering and construction sectors, Building Information Modeling (BIM)-based procedures have become adopted more and more. In fact, the development of suitable BIM models facilitates the management of the design and construction phases and improves the efficiency of the maintenance policies during the life cycle of the building. Although the BIM method is mostly implemented in the building industry for new constructions, in recent years, the deployment of this technology has also attracted increasing attention for existing structures to rebuild their geometry and gather relevant data, especially for historical buildings; in this case, we refer to Heritage BIM (HBIM). A HBIM procedure requires a multidisciplinary approach involving not only historical, conservation, and restoration considerations but also suitable maintenance and repair plans, duly balancing the structural needs with the preservation of the historical value of the building and its content. Although the integration of the structural assessment in the HBIM process would be highly beneficial, its practical implementation is often in the early stages. In the paper, an original parametric procedure for the assessment of existing masonry buildings is proposed in the BIM environment. The procedure combines E-PUSH, a software program for the structural analysis of masonry structures under seismic and non-seismic actions with an appropriate BIM approach, so improving the management of gathered data through cognitive phases. The assessment process is, thus, simplified since data required for the structural analysis are directly retrieved from the BIM model, and the structural analyses and verifications are performed without using external programs. The proposed BIM workflow is finally illustrated and discussed referring to a relevant case study, the seismic vulnerability assessment of the “Bernardo Rucellai” school in Florence (Italy).

Lightweight roofs are extremely sensitive to extreme snow loads, as confirmed by recently occurring failures all over Europe. Obviously, the problem is further emphasized in warmer climatic areas, where low design values are generally foreseen for snow loads. Like other climatic actions, representative values of snow loads provided in structural codes are usually derived by means of suitable elaborations of extreme statistics, assuming climate stationarity over time. As climate change impacts are becoming more and more evident over time, that hypothesis is becoming controversial, so that suitable adaptation strategies aiming to define climate resilient design loads need to be implemented. In the paper, past and future trends of ground snow load in Europe are assessed for the period 1950–2100, starting from high-resolution climate simulations, recently issued by the CORDEX program. Maps of representative values of snow loads adopted for structural design, associated with an annual probability of exceedance p = 2%, are elaborated for Europe. Referring to the historical period, the obtained maps are critically compared with the current European maps based on observations. Factors of change maps, referred to subsequent time windows are presented considering RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 emission trajectories, corresponding to medium and maximum greenhouse gas concentration scenarios. Factors of change are thus evaluated considering suitably selected weather stations in Switzerland and Germany, for which high quality point measurements, sufficiently extended over time are available. Focusing on the investigated weather stations, the study demonstrates that climate models can appropriately reproduce historical trends and that a decrease of characteristic values of the snow loads is expected over time. However, it must be remarked that, if on one hand the mean value of the annual maxima tends to reduce, on the other hand, its standard deviation tends to increase, locally leading to an increase of the extreme values, which should be duly considered in the evaluation of structural reliability over time.