Seismic vulnerability assessment of the Garrone barracks in Vercelli
23 June 2020
Last year, the Vercelli City Council approved a memorandum of understanding committing itself, together with the Italian State Property Agency and the Ministry of Justice, to take action to make the relocation of the Palazzo di Giustizia from its current premises to the Garrone Barracks a reality.
The imposing building, formerly home to the 3rd Artillery Group “Pastrengo,” has been abandoned for many years and will now be returned to the community, enabling the establishment of a “Citadel of Justice” to serve the public. At the same time, the Court will be able to relocate to a building better suited to its organizational and operational needs.
In this context, the Italian State Property Agency – Regional Directorate for Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta – issued an open tender for a service including laser scanner survey, diagnostic investigation, and seismic vulnerability assessment of the building. The tender evaluated both quality and price criteria. Foppoli Moretta e Associati, leading a consortium with the Catalan firm BAC Engineering Consultancy Group and geologist Riccardo Cortiana from Monza, submitted the most economically advantageous offer and was awarded the service. The contract, signed recently, requires the company to complete the work within 110 days of commencement.
Through numerous services carried out to date, Foppoli Moretta e Associati has acquired extensive experience in conducting surveys, vulnerability assessments, and designing seismic improvement interventions, particularly for strategic or highly frequented buildings. As examples, in the past year the firm carried out surveys, analyses, and feasibility design for buildings annexed to the former judicial prisons and the court in Rovereto (Trentino), and similar activities are currently underway for several strategic buildings in Caneva, Spilimbergo, and Maniago, in the province of Pordenone.
