This contribution offers an overview of European collaborative efforts toward increased understanding and risk-focused mitigation strategies through the EU-funded ERIES (European Research Infrastructures for European Synergies, www.eries.eu) project. ERIES provides transnational access to advanced experimental facilities across Europe and Canada, fostering knowledge development in structural, seismic, wind, and geotechnical engineering. The paper outlines the project’s organisational framework, primary r…

Abstract This paper proposes a procedure to design low‐rise base‐isolated structures achieving a specific target level of earthquake‐induced loss (e.g., dollars, downtime) while complying with a predefined minimum level of structural reliability. The procedure is “direct” since the target loss is specified at the first step of the process, and virtually no design iterations are required. Direct loss‐based design (DLBD) is enabled by a simplified loss assessment module involving: (1) surrogate probabilistic seismic…

Abstract In earthquake-prone areas, structures not compliant with modern design codes significantly contribute to seismic risk. Therefore, risk mitigation strategies (e.g., seismic retrofit) should be employed to reduce the expected economic and human losses. This paper introduces a procedure for the design of retrofit solutions for reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings to achieve - rather than be bounded by - a desired target level of earthquake-induced loss for a given site-specific seismic hazard profile. Th…

Abstract This paper presents a procedure to design reinforced concrete (RC) buildings to achieve an acceptable target level of earthquake‐induced loss (e.g., deaths, dollars, downtime) under a site‐specific hazard profile. The procedure is called “direct” since the target loss level is specified at the first step of the process, and virtually no iteration is required. The procedure is based on a simplified loss assessment involving a surrogate model for the seismic demand (i.e., probability distribution of peak ho…

Subsequent to a given structural collapse, forensic efforts aimed at identifying the root cause behind the observed failure are typically deployed, not only within the framework of responsibility seeking endeavours, but also, and perhaps more importantly, with the objective of drawing lessons that will hopefully prevent a repetition of a similar ruinous event in the future. Such forensic analyses typically involve the combined employment of both analytical/numerical, as well as empirical approaches, whereby result…