2 research outputs found
Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Priority Cultural Heritage Structures in the Philippines
At the end of 2013 two catastrophic events occurred in the Philippines: the M 7.2 earthquake
in Bohol and the strongest ever recorded Typhoon Haiyan, causing destruction across the islands of Cebu,
Bohol and the Visayas region. These events raised the need to carry out a multi-hazard risk assessment of
heritage buildings, many of which were irretrievably lost in the disasters. Philippines’ Department of
Tourism engaged ARS Progetti S.P.A., Rome, Italy, and the Center for Conservation of Cultural Property
and Environment in the Tropics (CCCPET), University of Sto. Tomas, Manila, to undertake the
“Assessment of the Multi-Hazard Vulnerability of Priority Cultural Heritage Structures in the
Philippines”, with experts from University College London, UK, and De La Salle University.
The main objective of the project was to reduce the vulnerability of cultural heritage structures to multiple
natural hazards, including earthquake, typhoon, flood, by: (i) prioritizing of specific structures based on
hazard maps and historical records; (ii) assessing their vulnerability; and (iii) recommending options to
mitigate the impacts on them. The paper presents the methodology introduced to determine the seismic
risk these heritage buildings are exposed to. All the selected cultural heritage structures are under the
jurisdiction of the National Museum Commission of Philippines and of the National Commission for
Culture and Arts