Project description
Smart retrofitting: data-driven earthquake protection
Older unreinforced masonry buildings in crowded cities face significant risks during earthquakes. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ARMOUR project aims to transform how we protect these structures by creating an open-access framework for seismic retrofitting. By combining advanced computer modelling with real-world data from in situ and laboratory tests, the project is expected to accurately predict potential damage. Beyond structural safety, ARMOUR will integrate environmental and economic impacts, such as carbon emissions and long-term costs. This approach will help engineers and policymakers select retrofitting strategies that balance safety with heritage preservation and sustainability. ARMOUR’s goal is to provide a digital tool to create resilient, climate-neutral cities that align with global goals for sustainable urban development.
Objective
ARMOUR aims to transform seismic risk mitigation for unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings in dense urban aggregates by uniting probabilistic seismic vulnerability assessment and holistic retrofit design into an open-access framework. A new probabilistic Building Taxonomy for Modelling (BT-M) will classify URM buildings and encode modelling-ready parameters for geometry, materials and interactions. Field Operational Modal Analysis and large-scale shake table datasets will calibrate buildings and provide probabilistic distributions of linear and nonlinear material properties. Nonlinear dynamic analyses under incremental dynamic analysis procedures, enhanced by artificial neural networks and genetic algorithms, will produce surface seismic fragility functions, which unlike traditional single-curve representation, can capture variability across damage states, engineering demand parameters, and intensity measures.
Lifecycle (LC) metrics will extend seismic risk assessment (SRA), embedding life safety, monetary loss, and CO2 emissions into multi-decision-variable performance matrices. The resulting modular LC-SRA digital tool, validated and generalized to be applied in other cities, will help policymakers and engineers to select retrofit strategies that balance safety, cost and carbon footprint, also aligned with heritage preservation.
ARMOUR’s strength lies in its interdisciplinary collaboration: UPC (host institution) leads the work, joined by EPFL (secondment) and ASDEA (non-academic placement) for experimental validation and industrial application, with CIMNE as an associated partner linked to the beneficiary, contributing in machine learning integration. This synergy merges structural and earthquake engineering, experimental dynamics, data science, and sustainability, delivering scientific excellence, technological innovation, and practical impact in line with EU climate neutrality goal and UN SDG 11 goal for resilient cities, and sustainable urban development.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
08034 BARCELONA
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.