Contributions to Long-Term Sustainable Urban Development Through a Data-Driven Monitoring Strategy: Performance Assessment of Seismic Base-Isolated Buildings in Bucharest
Open Access
- 21 April 2026
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Sustainability
- Vol. 18 (8) , 4132
Abstract
Processed parameters from sensors located on seismically isolated buildings (maximum acceleration, spectral acceleration and oscillation periods) are compared against free-field ground motion to evaluate the improvement in seismic response for these buildings. The study is carried out for three structures in Bucharest, the capital city of Romania. The data used in this research correspond to moderate magnitude earthquakes, 4.2 ≤ MW ≤ 5.5 generated from the Vrancea-intermediate-depth seismic area, with focal depths greater than ~90 km. The methodology helps to evaluate amplification/reduction in the seismic motion, and confirmed that base-isolation devices reduce the seismic parameters’ amplitudes of the structure directly above the isolating layer. The effectiveness of the base-isolation technique is further assessed by comparing the amplitude of the seismic parameters recorded under and above the earthquake protection devices. The results show a clear decrease in the values right above the isolating system, supporting the efficiency of base-isolation systems. The outcomes provide necessary empirical data for refining seismic design and improving the resilience of critical structures. The work contributes to the mitigation of the seismic risk in the city area, thus targeting a more resilient urban community and sustainable city through implementation of modern base-isolation systems for the retrofitting of vulnerable buildings exposed to a high risk of seismic hazards.Keywords
Funding Information
- Ministerul Cercetării, Inovării şi Digitalizării (PN23360202)
This publication has 12 references indexed in Scilit:
- Resilience-based assessment of seismic risk by investigating the socioeconomic and structural earthquake engineering factorsEnvironmental Earth Sciences, 2025
- Earthquake and structural engineering science for civil protectionBulletin of Earthquake Engineering, 2023
- Innovations in earthquake risk reduction for resilience: Recent advances and challengesInternational Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2021
- From National to Transnational Seismic Monitoring Products and Services in the Republic of Bulgaria, Republic of Moldova, Romania, and UkraineSeismological Research Letters, 2021
- Towards modern sustainable cities: Review of sustainability principles and trendsJournal of Cleaner Production, 2019
- Clarifying the new interpretations of the concept of sustainable buildingSustainable Cities and Society, 2013
- Geodynamics and intermediate-depth seismicity in Vrancea (the south-eastern Carpathians): Current state-of-the artTectonophysics, 2012
- Romanian complex data center for dense seismic networkAnnals of Geophysics, 2011
- Advanced real-time acquisition of the Vrancea earthquake early warning systemSoil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 2011
- Resilience Thinking: Integrating Resilience, Adaptability and TransformabilityEcology and Society, 2010