Structural design criteria for safety by monitoring of the architectural heritage damage: state of the art reviews

The events that mainly undermine structural safety are both earthquakes, ground subsidence, natural disasters (landslides, floods, hurricanes), both degradation, neglect and lack of maintenance, or even improper maintenance. So, earthquakes aren't the only responsible for buildings collapsing: some structural failures, occurred in the city of Naples, are connected to the characteristics of its subsoil permeated by underground cavities that can turn into huge ‘holes’ swallowing the foundations of buildings. In 2015, in the centre of Naples, a historic building used as the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Federico II University collapsed. Few premonitory signs (creaks during the night) preceded the disaster. Same fate for an important building, located on the Riviera di Chiaia, where it was said that the causes were to be found in the excavations of the adjacent underground. At the light of most recent events too, as the collapse of part of a church façade in piazza Cavour (Naples, 20 January 2021), which seems to be attributable to the floor of an adjacent palace in Vico ai Miracoli, the work aims to explore the most suitable approach possibilities particularly refers to masonry structures classifiable as ancient buildings. For many years now, the design has been adapting to earthquake criteria, but it has not yet adapted to ‘other’ events such as bursting a pipe or a terrorist attack or even a progressive simple leaching of the foundation soil. So, it is important to initiate a discussion on issues about the correct approach to safe structural design for the historical heritage, respect to events of a different kind other than dynamic actions.