C3 Building of Salerno University Campus: The First Building with FREEDAM Technology

The project FREEDAM (RFSR-CT-2015-00022), recently accomplished, regarded the design and testing of innovative connections equipped with friction dampers able to withstand, without any damage, destructive seismic events. FREEDAM connections exhibited excellent performances as demonstrated by experimental tests on beam-to-column connections and by full-scale seismic tests on a two-storey steel building carried out through the pseudo-dynamic testing method in a laboratory environment. The DREAMERS demonstration project (RFCS 2020 - GA n. 101034015) aims to show the applicability and the increased performance obtained through the application of FREEDAM connections in a real-scale environment. The demonstration consists of the realization of a real building, the so-called C3 Building at Salerno University Campus. The project has a significant focus on the structural part, but the architectural components and the mechanical/electrical systems have also been designed considering the most advanced available standards. C3 Building is currently under construction. It is the first building worldwide to exploit FREEDAM technology. Beam-to-column connections of the seismic-resistant system are equipped with friction dampers connected to the bottom flange of the beams. The non-structural elements are conceived considering the damage issues, adopting partition walls, false ceilings, and façades able to follow the structural horizontal displacements without damage. The architectural design and its structural conception are presented in this paper. The discussion is focused on the main structural design issues and the adopted solutions. The structural monitoring system is also described.