Palazzo Cidonio

OWNERS
CATEGORY Civil & Industrial Buildings
SERVICES PROVIDED Seismic assessment and retrofit
LOCATION | L’Aquila, Italy
PROJECT DURATION | 2013
PROJECT VALUE | € 15.383.533,86

The 2009 L’Aquila earthquake occurred in the region of Abruzzo, in central Italy. The main shock occurred at 03:32 on 6 April 2009, and was rated 5.8 or 5.9 on the Richter magnitude scale and 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale. Its epicentre was near L’Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo, which together with surrounding villages suffered the most damage. There have been several thousand foreshocks and aftershocks since December 2008, more than thirty of which had a Richter magnitude greater than 3.5. The earthquake was felt throughout central Italy and killed 308 people.  

Immediately after the emergency a big plan for seismic assessment and retrofit started in the territory hit by the tremendous earthquake. 

 Palazzo Cidonio is located in the center of the city of L’Aquila, between the following streets: Via S. Flaviano, Via Rosso Guelfaglione, Via delle Grazie and Via Fabio Cannella. It was built between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, but it is part of a building complex whose first historical traces date back to 1620. 

 The intervention consisted of consolidating the walls using mortar injections to restore their continuity and their original resistance. Steel rebars inserted at the intersections interlock the orthogonal walls. Deteriorated plaster was replaced by concrete jacketing and some of the walls have been reinforced with FRP strips. A new roof with a steel attic floor replaces the old timber roof, which makes the top of the building more sturdy. The flooring has also been stiffened and properly re-connected to the masonry walls. Precious stone elements (portals, gutters, stairs, etc.) have been restored and brought to their old splendour.  

 Hopper Engineering and Consultancy was responsible for the seismic assessment and for the detailed design of the retrofit measures in collaboration with Adelio Rossi srl and ar studio di progettazione. 

 The retrofitting of the building has been successfully completed. The contractors (temporary association of contactors) were: TechnoRestauri s.r.l., Cingoli Nicola & Figlio s.r.l, Tecnica Edilizia s.r.l., Pragma s.r.l.. 

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