Classification of Italian precast concrete structures

The structural scheme of precast concrete buildings in Europe is typically characterised by high flexibility due to the presence of slender cantilever columns and hinged beam-to-column connections. Failures of these connections, which may rely on frictional forces or embedded mechanical devices, have been observed following recent seismic events in Italy, leading to the loss of beam support. This apparent vulnerability has highlighted the need for extensive assessment and retrofit campaigns for precast industrial facilities across Europe, with the goal of mitigating seismic risk and enhancing the resilience of these structures. In any such effort, the first step is the realisation of a taxonomy of the typical structural typologies that are present in a region or a country. The goal of this work is to classify the non-residential, mostly industrial, precast concrete structures built in Italy from the sixties to present, based on criteria like the year of construction, the seismic vs non-seismic classification, the structural typology, the types of beams, columns, beam-to-column connections and roof elements. To this aim, information about nearly 700 structures was collected from three databases related to the entire Italian territory. Statistics of relevant structural and non-structural properties are presented through frequency diagrams, pie charts and fitted probability distributions, which can all be employed to randomly generate large building populations, with a view to qualitatively estimate the seismic response of the structures or develop seismic fragility models.