Design strategies for the development of life-saving furniture systems in the event of an earthquake

During an earthquake, non-structural elements such as mobile systems, furniture and equipment that set up environments, can become obstacles and barriers that aggravate danger conditions, especially for the elderly, children and those who have ambulation impairmentor, on the contrary, may represent a chance of survival in the event of collapses. The paper aims to investigate the possibilities to innovate and transform, from a structural and functional perspective, the design of furniture and mobile equipment, in intelligent security systems that can contribute to the protection of life. In particular, the state of the art of earthquake-proof projects and products is analysed in a critical way to highlight the "life-saving" strategies implemented and at the same time bring out any latent needs that are not yet satisfied but which can be developed in one future scenario. The aim of this analysis is the definition of a set of technical-performance requirements for the development of new "collaborative" life-saving concepts in the case of earthquakes. For the critical analysis of the state of the art, a series of data collection activities of patents and anti-seismic furnishing products were carried out and the interdisciplinary research concerning the healthiness conditions and the conditions of psycho-physical stress that people undergo during a seismic event. The data collection was conducted through the analysis of the most recent scientific publications and technical sheets of existing products and interviews with specific figures directly involved in the last seismic events that hit the center of Italy. The paper presents the results of these researches that demonstrate how the theme of furniture design and non-structural elements for the preservation of life in the event of earthquake is current and promising and identifies design strategies for the development of systems of Life-saving furniture in a systemic and collaborative perspective.