Ricerca e sviluppo di un modello metaprogettuale per la generazione di nuovi concept di arredo salva-vita in caso di sisma

This research is a part of the scientific-disciplinary field of Industrial Design, with a particular focus on Design for Safety. It intends to address the issue of earthquake protection, with specific attention to life-saving strategies developed to date for the implementation interior safety, exactly through the use of devices and furniture systems specialized in safeguarding people’s lives. Therefore, this research is mainly focused on investigation and analysis of furnishing systems characterized by high capacity for protection and safeguarding of human life with the final aim to define new design guidelines and life-saving strategies for development of new earthquake- proof furniture concepts. The doctoral research was developed within the S.A.F.E. industrial research project, characterized by an interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach to innovation aimed at the development of life-saving furniture in the event of an earthquake. The research starts from the observation that, to date, the guidelines for securing and survival methods in the event of an earthquake are still inadequate compared to those nations characterized by a predominantly historical building, and therefore, vulnerable to earthquakes. Unfortunately, Italy and its buildings are also a part of those countries. In fact, the latest seismic events in our country, in particular those of 2016, which severely hit Central Italy again, have rekindled the debate on the safety of public and civil buildings with great attention to those in historic centers, and on the lack of an adequate anti-seismic prevention strategy throughout the Italian territory. To aggravate the emergency scenario in addition to precariousness of structures and their obsolescence, there is also the inadequacy of many usual domestic practices for survival in the events of subsidence and collapses during the earthquake, such as getting under the table or under the architraves of the doors, whose fundamental purpose is help to survive the shock without suffering serious injuries, based on the theories of “drop, cover, hold on” and the “triangle of life”. According to some statistics on certain seismic events, about 25% of deaths caused by an earthquake are due to non-structural damage to buildings (fall of partitions, windows, cornices, tiles, etc.) and to phenomena induced by the earthquake. Unfortunately, sometimes during an earthquake not only the architectural structures, but also the furniture systems, objects and equipment that set up the interiors of public or private buildings, can become obstacles and barriers that aggravate the conditions of danger and rescue or on the contrary, represent a temporary shelter when it is time to reach it and when it does not yield under the weight of the collapsing structures. We can consider these “improvised” shelters as passive protection systems similar to other safety devices (airbag systems, safety clothing, etc.). The different behaviour of furniture systems and furnishings in the event of an earthquake and collapse depends on how they were conceived, designed and built. Starting from this observation and the observation that to date, there are no adequate intervention solutions for a historical building context. A first macro-phase has been launched characterized by a series of preliminary research aimed to frame the seismic emergency in our country, with particular attention to the worrying data of Italian school buildings. Following the framing of the reference scenario, an extensive analysis has been launched on the state of the art of systems and procedures for safety of living spaces and functional spaces, such as learning environments, highlighting the problem of non-structural elements and furnishings as a cause of damage to people and things. In the second macro-phase, a series of detailed research was launched to frame the issue of protection and safety with respect to devices and other products, developed to date, and capable of securing indoor spaces. Starting from the study of “light” systems to attach certain types of furniture to the walls, the research investigated the state of the art of patents, concepts and life-saving furniture products in the event of an earthquake. This activity has been fundamental to explain the protection strategies adopted and bring out, through a critical analysis, a new set of design requirements evolutionary with respect to the state of the art investigated in order to develop new life-saving furniture concepts. The latest research has been focused on recognition of high- strength materials, and ICT and IoT technologies, aimed to increase the anti-seismic performance of traditional furnishings, especially those intended for teaching spaces. The third macro-phase, the experimental one, has been characterized by the definition of a procedural model and design guidelines for the generation of new life-saving furniture systems in the event of an earthquake. Therefore, the final objective of this research is to make a twofold contribution to the theme of safety and protection from earthquakes. The first one relates to a greater diffusion of emergency culture and intends to expand the state of the art of technical-scientific literature with respect to earthquake protection methods in historical and strategic building contexts; the second one, by developing a procedural model and new design guidelines, aims to provide a tool for design of new concepts of furnishing systems, capable of protecting and safeguarding people’s lives in the identified critical building contexts. The main research results achieved include: the cataloging of examples of products and devices for safety in the event of an earthquake and a series of life-saving furniture case studies for indoor contexts; the definition of main levels of intervention for safety of living spaces and the definition of life-saving strategies in the event of an earthquake, implemented to date in the case studies mapped by the research; the development of a metaproject model, divided into phases and design guidelines, for the design of new life-saving furniture system concepts in the event of an earthquake; the definition of new application and development scenarios with respect to the theme of seismic emergency in countries, where buildings are particularly vulnerable to earthquakes. Furthermore, considering the great theme of protection and safety in the event of an earthquake, other research streams to be developed in the future were framed, especially those concerning implementation of new approaches and methodologies, such as Biodesign, and application of Generative Design tools for development of new geometries, with high performance and earthquake resistance.