A novel rapid survey form for the vulnerability assessment of existing building stock based on the "Index Building" approach

The seismic vulnerability at regional scale of the existing building stock deserves a particular attention from the scientific community, considering that it is a crucial phase for the estimate of the possible losses (damage, human lives, disruption) due to hazardous events. For developing a comprehensive and effective approach, different skills arc required, ranging from the expertise in structural analysis to the knowledge of informatics systems aimed at data collection. Within this framework, the use of survey forms able to provide a preliminary vulnerability index based on observational data (properly calibrated on mechanical or empirical analyses) represents one of the most adopted methodologies for large-scale vulnerability analysis. The aim of this paper is the proposal of a novel survey form for the vulnerability assessment of the residential building stock, based on the results obtained from a mechanical approach applied to "Index Buildings", linked with an informatic platform through a Decision Support System. After the compilation, this new survey form is able to associate any generic sampled building to a pre-defined "Index building" and thence to associate a structural capacity.