The Seismic City

The Seismic City is a complex device that, by simulating horizontal seismic movements of the ground, shows how earthquakes affect and deform different types of buildings. A schematic urban environment with buildings and bridges is reproduced on the platform on a 1:25 scale. Some structures are equipped with systems of seismic protection, some are not. This way, it is possible to observe what happens during an earthquake to traditional buildings, with or without anti-seismic devices.

Through the experience of the Seismic City it is possible to understand:
• why an earthquake can influence buildings in different ways, depending on their rigidity and mass characteristics;
• how, during an earthquake, the movements of a building are amplified as opposed to the movements of the ground;
• why buildings next to others or with an irregular shape are more at risk of damages than others;
• which are the advantages of seismic technologies.

The Seismic City was created by the Civil Protection Department with the collaboration of Acedis, Associazione costruttori edili dispositivi isolamento sismico - Association of house-builders for seismic isolation devices.