Towards a reliable calibration of wind load partial factor for the Italian climate

In the last years, the debate on calibration of partial factors for climatic actions has gained strength and has shown conflicting results concerning the need for their updating. In the case of wind actions, it is argued that in some cases current values are based on probabilistic models not matching the physical model adopted by the same Code. On the other hand, calibration at the national level seems appropriate for at least three reasons: (a) the peculiarities of the extreme wind climate of different climatic zones, (b) the different characteristics and quality of data, and (c) the additional uncertainty arising from zoning. In this framework, this paper investigates the actual reliability level of structures to wind actions and attempts to calibrate wind load partial factor with reference to the Italian extreme wind climate.