This research is a part of the scientific-disciplinary field of Industrial Design, with a
particular focus on Design for Safety. It intends to address the issue of earthquake
protection, with specific attention to life-saving strategies developed to date for the
implementation interior safety, exactly through the use of devices and furniture
systems specialized in safeguarding people’s lives. Therefore, this research is mainly
focused on investigation and analysis of furnishing systems characterized by high
capacity for protection and safeguarding of human life with the final aim to define
new design guidelines and life-saving strategies for development of new earthquake-
proof furniture concepts. The doctoral research was developed within the S.A.F.E.
industrial research project, characterized by an interdisciplinary and intersectoral
approach to innovation aimed at the development of life-saving furniture in the event
of an earthquake. The research starts from the observation that, to date, the guidelines
for securing and survival methods in the event of an earthquake are still inadequate
compared to those nations characterized by a predominantly historical building, and
therefore, vulnerable to earthquakes. Unfortunately, Italy and its buildings are also a
part of those countries. In fact, the latest seismic events in our country, in particular
those of 2016, which severely hit Central Italy again, have rekindled the debate on the
safety of public and civil buildings with great attention to those in historic centers,
and on the lack of an adequate anti-seismic prevention strategy throughout the
Italian territory. To aggravate the emergency scenario in addition to precariousness of
structures and their obsolescence, there is also the inadequacy of many usual domestic
practices for survival in the events of subsidence and collapses during the earthquake,
such as getting under the table or under the architraves of the doors, whose fundamental
purpose is help to survive the shock without suffering serious injuries, based on the
theories of “drop, cover, hold on” and the “triangle of life”. According to some statistics
on certain seismic events, about 25% of deaths caused by an earthquake are due to
non-structural damage to buildings (fall of partitions, windows, cornices, tiles, etc.)
and to phenomena induced by the earthquake. Unfortunately, sometimes during an
earthquake not only the architectural structures, but also the furniture systems, objects
and equipment that set up the interiors of public or private buildings, can become
obstacles and barriers that aggravate the conditions of danger and rescue or on the
contrary, represent a temporary shelter when it is time to reach it and when it does not
yield under the weight of the collapsing structures. We can consider these “improvised”
shelters as passive protection systems similar to other safety devices (airbag systems,
safety clothing, etc.). The different behaviour of furniture systems and furnishings in
the event of an earthquake and collapse depends on how they were conceived, designed
and built. Starting from this observation and the observation that to date, there are no
adequate intervention solutions for a historical building context. A first macro-phase
has been launched characterized by a series of preliminary research aimed to frame the
seismic emergency in our country, with particular attention to the worrying data of
Italian school buildings. Following the framing of the reference scenario, an extensive
analysis has been launched on the state of the art of systems and procedures for safety
of living spaces and functional spaces, such as learning environments, highlighting the
problem of non-structural elements and furnishings as a cause of damage to people
and things. In the second macro-phase, a series of detailed research was launched to
frame the issue of protection and safety with respect to devices and other products,
developed to date, and capable of securing indoor spaces. Starting from the study of
“light” systems to attach certain types of furniture to the walls, the research investigated
the state of the art of patents, concepts and life-saving furniture products in the event
of an earthquake.
This activity has been fundamental to explain the protection strategies adopted and
bring out, through a critical analysis, a new set of design requirements evolutionary
with respect to the state of the art investigated in order to develop new life-saving
furniture concepts. The latest research has been focused on recognition of high-
strength materials, and ICT and IoT technologies, aimed to increase the anti-seismic
performance of traditional furnishings, especially those intended for teaching spaces. The third macro-phase, the experimental one, has been characterized by the definition
of a procedural model and design guidelines for the generation of new life-saving
furniture systems in the event of an earthquake. Therefore, the final objective of this
research is to make a twofold contribution to the theme of safety and protection from
earthquakes. The first one relates to a greater diffusion of emergency culture and
intends to expand the state of the art of technical-scientific literature with respect
to earthquake protection methods in historical and strategic building contexts; the
second one, by developing a procedural model and new design guidelines, aims to
provide a tool for design of new concepts of furnishing systems, capable of protecting
and safeguarding people’s lives in the identified critical building contexts.
The main research results achieved include: the cataloging of examples of products and
devices for safety in the event of an earthquake and a series of life-saving furniture case
studies for indoor contexts; the definition of main levels of intervention for safety of
living spaces and the definition of life-saving strategies in the event of an earthquake,
implemented to date in the case studies mapped by the research; the development of
a metaproject model, divided into phases and design guidelines, for the design of new
life-saving furniture system concepts in the event of an earthquake; the definition
of new application and development scenarios with respect to the theme of seismic
emergency in countries, where buildings are particularly vulnerable to earthquakes.
Furthermore, considering the great theme of protection and safety in the event of
an earthquake, other research streams to be developed in the future were framed,
especially those concerning implementation of new approaches and methodologies,
such as Biodesign, and application of Generative Design tools for development of new
geometries, with high performance and earthquake resistance
