DEVELOPMENT OF SEISMIC VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT

METHODOLOGIES OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS

ABSTRACT

Models capable of estimating losses in future earthquakes are of fundamental importance for
emergency planners and for the insurance and reinsurance industries. One of the main ingredients in a
loss model is an accurate, transparent and conceptually sound algorithm to assess the seismic
vulnerability of the building stock and indeed many tools and methodologies have been proposed over the
past 30 years for this purpose. This paper takes a look at some of the most significant contributions in the
field of vulnerability assessment and identifies the key advantages and disadvantages of these procedures
in order to distinguish the main characteristics of an ideal methodology.
KEYWORDS: Vulnerability Assessment, Loss Estimation, Unreinforced Masonry, Reinforced
Concrete

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