Seismic and Energy Upgrading of Existing RC Buildings: Methodological Aspects and Application to a Case-Study on the Italian Experience

In most of the European countries, a significant part of the built stock is made of Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings realized during the first decades after WWII. Therefore, those buildings do not generally comply with the safety standards implied by the modern codes and standards, both in terms of structural safety and energy efficiency. Therefore, they need to be upgraded with the aim to raise the safety and efficiency deficit with respect to new constructions. However, upgrading existing structures requires huge resources, which cannot generally be sustained by owners, especially in the case of private buildings. This paper presents some preliminary results obtained by following a systemic approach to both seismic and thermal upgrading of existing RC buildings. Specifically, after a general presentation of relevant methodological aspects, it summarizes the results obtained on a residential RC building lying in Italy, where a significant fiscal incentive programme has been launched by the government to foster upgrading operation on the existing built stock.