2nd Croatian Conference on Earthquake Engineering 2CroCEE

Cultural heritage buildings refer to the ancient structures having high cultural and historical significance. These buildings are constructed using obsolete construction practices and requires special considerations with respect to lateral resistance especially in high seismic regions. This study focuses on the earthquake performance assessment of the Episcopal Seminary Building and Classical Gymnasium (Jesuit College) located in the Old City of Dubrovnik (UNESCO World Heritage Site). The construction dates back to 1662 and was developed in different stages until 1765. During this period, the building suffered damages from the M7.6 1667 Dubrovnik and M6.9 1979 Montenegro earthquake. The material composition, structural drawings, and fundamental frequencies of the building were previously obtained in the framework of the research projected “Seismic Risk Assessment of Cultural Heritage in Croatia – SeisRICHerCRO”. The material is predominantly composed of irregular stone blocks laid in lime mortar. The structural details such as floor vaults, arches, flexible diaphragms, and spatially irregular openings are numerically modelled using the finite element and equivalent frame approach.
The analytical models are calibrated by performing eigen value analysis to compute the material parameters i.e., Young’s modulus and density (supported by extensive literature review) that allows the modal frequencies to match with the values obtained from the ambient vibration testing. The seismic performance is then evaluated using the linear analysis procedures in accordance with the current guidelines of the Eurocode and Croatian National Annex. For the design earthquake, critical damage zones are identified and recommendations for retrofitting measures are proposed.