Building Retrofitting System Based on Bamboo-Steel Hybrid Exoskeleton Structures: A Case Study

• Main Authors: Vittoria F. Parrella, Luisa Molari
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: structural exoskeleton; bamboo; safety; integrated renovation; seismic retrofitting
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/5984

The building heritage of many seismic regions worldwide is largely substandard and seismically deficient and would require seismic retrofitting interventions. The use of natural materials with low embedded emissions could lead to a low carbon footprint of the retrofitting intervention. In this perspective, an innovative structural sustainable retrofitting system is proposed consisting of a hybrid steel–bamboo reticular bracing system. Through a preliminary two-dimensional analysis, the capabilities of the system are assessed by varying the size and the number of the culms and inserting engineered bamboo and steel rods. Considering the constraints posed by the openings, a structure that uses steel in the first inter-storey and bamboo in the others is proposed to obtain a significative improvement of mechanical performances. The spatial behaviour of this structure is studied through a three-dimensional numerical model. The seismic analyses show that the exoskeleton structure when conveniently anchored allows to achieve an effective displacement and deformation control on the primary structure, as well as a reduction of its internal forces. The results of the presented work may provide useful preliminary insights. Further research effort is needed to generalize the results to different seismic zones. The proposed seismic retrofitting system could be easily integrated with a thermal coat to also enhance energy saving.