The Service <\/strong><\/p>\n The service consisted of Seismic Vulnerability Assessments for 5 properties in Piedmont protected under Legislative Decree 42\/04, totaling 445,475 sq. ft. The following description focuses on the former Military Engineering Pavilion in Alessandria, currently occupied by the Prefecture, the State Forestry Corps, the Department of Penitentiary Administration, and the Customs and Monopolies Agency. Originally built as a monastery in the 15th century, this building consists of five structural units, including the Church of the SS. Annunziata, which is now deconsecrated but remains a subject of particular attention by the Soprintendenza. <\/p>\n Historical and Documentary Analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n Significant complexity arose from the presence of multiple tenants within the complex, belonging to various Ministries. The research was therefore conducted along four main lines. Initially, the various user entities were contacted: the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies, the Ministry of Justice, and the Customs and Monopolies Agency. Subsequently, local public administrations, which are the institutional custodians of design and construction documents, were contacted: the Municipality of Alessandria, the Soprintendenza for Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the provinces of Alessandria, Asti, and Cuneo, and the Interregional Superintendency for Public Works for Piedmont, Aosta Valley, and Liguria. The third path targeted entities that preserve the historical records of the assets (various archives including the Historical Archive of Military Engineering in Rome, and the Historical Archives of Alessandria and Turin, etc.). Finally, we coordinated with the relevant Army offices: the Ministry of Defense \u201c1st Infrastructure Department of Turin.\u201d By the end of this phase, we had access to all available documentation. <\/p>\n Investigation Campaign<\/strong><\/p>\n The Soprintendenza granted approval by fully accepting the proposal and authorizing the execution of investigations as described in the design documents. Maximum attention was paid to the Church and its decorative elements, adopting non-invasive technologies and preferring neutral architectural surfaces without decorative elements for the investigations. Following the execution of the tests, a new version of the drawing was produced to serve as the “as-built” record, accounting for variations that occurred during the execution phase. <\/p>\n Vulnerability Assessment <\/strong><\/p>\n The seismic assessment highlighted several vulnerabilities typical of masonry buildings, such as weaknesses related to local overturning mechanisms; others were strictly linked to the maintenance status of certain elements. The setup of the calculation models (in terms of identifying the various structural units, masonry types, and floor systems) was particularly complex and detailed due to the centuries-old history of the assets and the numerous alterations the complex has undergone over time. For example, in some structural units, dozens of types of floor systems were identified and modeled, differing in construction characteristics, materials, and time periods. As these are protected assets, significant care was taken to “refine the calculation models” using very few destructive or low-invasivity tests, relying instead on extensive non-invasive investigations. The calibration and interpretation of every single test, along with the evaluation of local criticalities such as deterioration due to age or lack of maintenance (often found in difficult-to-access or “inaccessible” attics), allowed for the creation of models that accurately represent the actual structure of the assets while maintaining very low invasivity during the testing campaign. The design of the interventions, also carried out in compliance with ministerial guidelines for historical buildings, consistently achieved a seismic safety level (NTC2018) exceeding 60%, and in some cases, full seismic retrofitting. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Service The service consisted of Seismic Vulnerability Assessments for 5 properties in Piedmont protected under Legislative Decree 42\/04, totaling 445,475 sq. ft. The following description focuses on the former Military Engineering Pavilion in Alessandria, currently occupied by the Prefecture, the State Forestry Corps, the Department of Penitentiary Administration, and the Customs and Monopolies Agency.<\/p>\n