Natural stone is a durable construction material which has been used through centuries for various types of structures. These structures are exposed to corrosive and degradation factors such as climate change and pollution, natural ageing, earthquake actions, increasing urbanization and even human negligence, potentially exposing them to irreversible structural damage and loss. Considering the large number of traditional structures and the historic value of a great number of stone masonry structures, the necessity of maintenance, repair, retrofit and restoration of stone masonry structures is imposed. The process which leads to the preservation of such structures consists of three stages: 1) the in-situ and laboratory study of the degree of damage and of the factors which cause the natural damages on the materials of these buildings, 2) the detailed drawing of the layout and the elevations. This stage also includes the selection of the appropriate measures for the maintenance and retrofits according to the special characteristics of the structure and the design of the intervention method, and 3) the execution of all the intervention works. This paper presents a description of various types of natural stones found in Cyprus, the most commonly used construction methods as well as methods for the retrofit of stone masonry structures.

Earthen structures made of adobe bricks are complex systems that making the identification of their behavior difficult, especially when they have to sustain lateral forces such as seismic forces. This paper presents a numerical investigation for the assessment of the structural response of unreinforced adobe masonry structures and how the installation of wooden ring beams contributes to their overall resistance. In the framework of the numerical investigation, finite element models were created to simulate the response of an adobe building with and without the presence of wooden ring beams. The test building is located in Cyprus, in the South Eastern Mediterranean region which is a seismic area. The material properties used in this study were found in the literature and were based on experimental data for local materials. The models were subjected to earthquake loads, performing time history analyses for the calculation of pertinent displacements and stresses. The findings indicate that integrating wooden ring beams reduces the fundamental period by 6% and modifies the building’s seismic behavior. This modification is evident not just in the magnitude of the stresses but also in their distribution, leading to a stratified stress profile. Peak stresses are primarily concentrated around the ring beams.

This study presents the ClimEmpower framework, a user-driven approach to enhancing climate resilience across five climate-vulnerable regions in Southern Europe: Costa del Sol (Spain), Central Greece, the Troodos Mountains (Cyprus), Osijek-Baranja County (Croatia), and Sicily (Italy). The project employs a region-specific methodology that integrates climate risk assessments, stakeholder engagement through Communities of Practice (CoPs), and the development of innovative climate services tailored to local needs. These regions, characterized by unique environmental and socio-economic vulnerabilities, face shared hazards such as droughts, heatwaves, and floods, alongside region-specific challenges like salinization and biodiversity loss. ClimEmpower identifies critical gaps in high-resolution data, cross-sectoral collaboration, and capacity-building efforts, underscoring barriers to effective adaptation. This work aims to provide a foundational resource, offering a comprehensive overview of the current situation, including needs, gaps, priorities, and expectations across the target regions. By establishing this baseline, it facilitates future research and comparative analyses, contributing to the development of robust, region-specific resilience strategies. The ClimEmpower framework offers scalable and replicable solutions aligned with the European Green Deal’s climate resilience goals, advancing adaptation planning and providing actionable insights for broader European initiatives.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how an alkali activator, specifically soluble glass, influences the geotechnical performance of sandy-pebble soil when combined with biomass bottom ash (BMA) as a sustainable stabilizing material. This work focused on understanding whether alkali activation could increase the strength, compactness, and overall engineering suitability of these mixtures while also examining how the activator affects permeability. To accomplish this, mixtures containing different proportions of BMA were prepared and treated with soluble glass at controlled water-to-activator ratios, followed by standard geotechnical procedures including Proctor compaction and California Bearing Ratio testing to assess density and load-bearing capacity. The results showed that soluble glass substantially improved the mechanical behavior of the mixtures, with both Proctor density values varying from 1.48 to 2.04 Mg/m³, depending on BMA content and activator dosage, while CBR values more than doubled for mixtures containing 20% BMA at a water-to-soluble-glass ratio of 1:3. Water permeability decreased with increasing BMA and activator content, from 8.11 × 10⁻⁵ to 5.91 × 10⁻⁵ m/s, although the permeability threshold of ≤2 × 10⁻⁵ m/s was not reached. These enhancements were linked to better packing of soil particles due to the void-filling effect of BMA and the formation of new binding compounds produced through alkali-activation reactions, including N-A-S-H and C-S-H gels. However, this study also found that higher amounts of soluble glass reduced water permeability, an effect associated with the denser microstructure created during geopolymerization. Overall, the findings demonstrate that stabilizing sandy-pebble soil with alkali-activated BMA is an effective approach to improving essential geotechnical properties while simultaneously offering environmental benefits by repurposing biomass waste in ground-improvement applications.

The integration of advanced terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) techniques into building information modelling (BIM) workflows has significantly enhanced the digitization and preservation of cultural heritage sites. In this context, crowdsourcing can operate as a complementary upstream mechanism for enriching heritage inventories, supporting participatory mapping, collecting preliminary condition observations, and prioritizing assets for subsequent expert-led TLS acquisition, HBIM modelling, and structural assessment. This paper explores the application of TLS within BIM for the structural assessment and the long-term monitoring of historic structures. The reviewed studies show how high-resolution TLS data can support the development and updating of geometry-informed structural models, enabling detailed structural assessment and effective management strategies. The reviewed case studies demonstrate the practical benefits of integrating TLS with BIM, such as improved accuracy in structural assessments, enhanced data processing capabilities, and the creation of comprehensive digital twins. These advancements facilitate better-informed decision-making and targeted preventive measures, contributing to the resilience and preservation of cultural heritage assets. The results underscore the contribution of TLS–BIM/HBIM workflows to condition-informed documentation, structural assessment, conservation planning, and long-term heritage management. This research was supported by the ERA4CH project, which aims to protect European cities’ cultural heritage from earthquake risks through innovative monitoring and management tools.

This study introduces the Failure Decision Function, a novel approach for evaluating the structural capacity of rectangular reinforced concrete columns under axial forces and moments, both uniaxial and biaxial. The method simplifies existing practices, enhancing accuracy and integration into design software. The methodology hinges on deriving exact biaxial bending failure surfaces, utilizing integral expressions based on material properties and cross-sectional geometry. This direct integration process uncovers failure surface characteristics previously undocumented. Results confirm the utility of the Failure Decision Function through comparative analysis with established literature, showcasing its potential for simplifying and improving structural capacity assessments. The analytic procedure developed enables efficient computation of failure surfaces, streamlining the inclusion of these functions in structural engineering software in two key ways: (1) compiling a library of pre-calculated functions for quick capacity checks and (2) creating a dynamic application that generates these functions based on specific design parameters, allowing users to explore various load and moment scenarios. In conclusion, the Failure Decision Function represents a significant advancement in structural engineering design, offering an accurate and user-friendly method for assessing column performance under critical loading conditions.