SEISMIC RESPONSE OF THERMAL INSULATION SYSTEMS FOR RC BUILDINGS

The new challenges of reducing the energy consumption and CO2 emissions is pushing the European Community and the associated countries to undertake effective policies to achieve important goals inthe next decades. It is worth noting that buildings contribute to the 40% of the energy demand of the EU and 32% at global level. Thus, the reduction of emissions and energy consumption should pass through the building renovation. Many studies pointed out the effectiveness of thermal insulation systems to increase the properties of the building envelop. However, only few studies considered the response of such non-structural components when subjected to earthquake loads or other lateral distortions. This study focuses on the experimental response of a novel thermal insulation system applicable from the exterior of the building. Experimental tests on a multi-storey infilled reinforced concrete building with and without the insulation system were performed and the results are reported and discussed. The tests were performed by using a pseudo-dynamic testing infrastructure. A focus on the attained damage on the infills and insulation coat under increasing earthquake intensity is made. The lateral response interms of base-shear versus the imposed top displacement is reported to quantify the contribution of the coat to the lateral behaviour.