Seismic vulnerability assessment of the old city centre of Horta, Azores: calibration and application of a seismic vulnerability index method

Abstract

The seismic vulnerability assessment of old masonry buildings is essential not only to buildings with recognised historical and heritage value but also to ordinary residential masonry buildings. Thus, and resorting a wide set of damage data collected after the 1998 Azores earthquake, this paper addresses the topic of the seismic vulnerability assessment of traditional masonry buildings through the calibration and application of a simplified vulnerability assessment method to the old city centre of Horta (Faial Island), in Portugal. In this case study, 192 buildings were assessed using this methodology, and vulnerability and loss scenarios were analysed using an integrated Geographical Information System tool. As is discussed in this paper, such procedure could allow city councils or regional authorities to plan interventions based on a global view of the site under analysis, leading to more accurate and comprehensive risk mitigation strategies, which can than support the requirements of safety and emergency planning.