An integrated regional prioritisation framework for seismic retrofitting of residential buildings

The European construction sector faces significant challenges due to the seismic vulnerability and widespread energy inefficiency of its residential building stock. Simultaneously, socioeconomic conditions exacerbate the risks faced by population’s vulnerable groups to both seismic hazard and energy needs. It becomes thus crucial to prioritise seismic and energy-efficiency performance upgrading of residential buildings through fully integrated frameworks that encompass single and multi-sectoral indicators, such as those related to seismic risk, energy performance, and socioeconomic metrics. Such frameworks can assist informed decision-making and efficient resource allocation, enabling relevant stakeholders to strategically target interventions on existing buildings. This study proposes a scalable, integrated prioritisation framework, calibrated and illustrated for the Portuguese residential building stock. To do so, the latest available data for each indicator are collected, including recent fragility and exposure models for Portuguese buildings from available research, energy and gas consumption governmental data, and socioeconomic Eurostat data related to the development levels of each region. The resulting prioritisation patterns rank the regions of the country based on the selected indicators, identifying areas with the highest priorities and needs, ensuring that resources are used efficiently and effectively, promoting more resilient communities.