NHR3 Center Hosts Seminar on Integrated Seismic and Energy Retrofit: Lessons from Italy, New Zealand, and Opportunities for the U.S.

Image of Professor Stefano Pampanin

When: Thursday, June 04, 2026
Time: 11:00-12:00pm
Where: Engineering BLDG 6, 580B

UCLA’s Natural Hazards Risk and Resiliency (NHR3), a Risk Institute-affiliated center, will host a seminar on Thursday, June 04, 2026 from 11:00-12:00pm PT in Engineering Building VI, 580B. Prof. Stefano Pampanin, a Professor at La Sapienza University of Rome and Adjunct Professor at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, will present "A Step-Change (Inter)National Plan for the Integrated Seismic-Energy Rehabilitation of the Building Stock to Enhance Community Resilience and Sustainability. Experiences from Italy, New Zealand and Opportunities for US.” 

Abstract: The urgency of a comprehensive and coordinated (inter)national plan for an “integrated” multi-performance rehabilitation of the existing building stock, able to combine architectural, functional, energy aspects and societal needs, while targeting a substantial improvement of structural and seismic safety, reducing the dramatic socio-economic-environmental impacts associated to earthquake events, is increasingly evident.

On the other hand, the severe mismatch between societal expectations over the reality of seismic performance of modern buildings has confirmed the need for a paradigm shift in performance-based design criteria and objective towards damage-control or low-damage design philosophy and technologies.

The presentation intends to provide an overview, based on extensive experience at national and international level, of recent significant advances and unique opportunities to enhance the community resilience and sustainability, based on the developments and implementation of either: a) next generation technologies for an integrated (structural skeleton + envelope + foundation system) resilient low-damage building systems, moving towards the concept of an “earthquake proof building” and b) unique proactive socio-economic/financial policies to sustain national-wide long-term programs for the integrated seismic-energy efficiency rehabilitation of the whole building stock.

To achieve this challenging and, at the same time, urgent goal, a paradigm shift is needed, relying on the synergic multi-disciplinary contribution of various stakeholders and shareholders. Equally important should be a dedicated effort to improve the communication to the non-technical audience, raise awareness in terms of overall impacts, risks and available solutions in order to co-create feasible pathways.

Bio: Stefano Pampanin is a Full Professor of Structural Engineering at La Sapienza University of Rome, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Canterbury of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a leading international expert in earthquake engineering. His research focuses on low-damage seismic design, structural resilience, and the assessment and retrofit of existing buildings. He has authored over 450 publications, led major international research projects, contributed to numerous design standards and guidelines, and received multiple awards for his contributions to earthquake-resistant engineering and seismic risk reduction.