Experts from universities in Spain and Portugal have developed a system to evaluate and reinforce schools against earthquakes. Using a set of indicators, the method offers the best solution to strengthen these buildings by considering principles of efficiency, cost, and architectural impact. The approach can also be applied to other types of buildings, such as homes, high schools, or hospitals.

Through specialized software, these experts analyze how buildings behave according to seismic regulations. This analysis provides data on the structural response and the level of damage a building would sustain during an earthquake. From there, the method evaluates how different structural reinforcement systems would improve the school’s performance.

This information is assessed along with cost and architectural impact indicators to determine the best alternative. “Many schools could benefit from structural reinforcement, so part of the work involved filtering which construction solutions best fit our technology, are most cost-effective, and preserve the building’s design so that it remains functional,” explains co-author Antonio Morales, head of the PERSISTAH project, funded by the INTERREG-POCTEP program under which this research falls.

The study focuses on schools built in Huelva and the Algarve. “Most of these schools were built during the 1970s. Therefore, seismic requirements were not strict, and in most cases, they were only designed to withstand gravitational loads,” explains the study’s lead author, María Victoria Requena García de la Cruz, to the Descubre Foundation.

Area of Significant Seismic Activity

In this case, the research focused on the regions of Huelva and the Algarve, which are known for considerable seismic activity—similar to other parts of Andalusia identified on Spain’s seismic hazard map. This is due to their proximity to the Gibraltar-Azores fault, where the Eurasian and African tectonic plates meet. Earthquake exposure can be worsened by the type of soil where a building is located. “In the case of Huelva, being close to the coast and the marshlands, the area is characterized by soft soils, which amplify the effects of seismic activity,” notes María Victoria Requena.

Additionally, primary schools in both regions share common seismic vulnerabilities. The oldest ones (from the 1960s) follow a load-bearing wall system with a high percentage of wall openings and low-quality materials. Others are based on shorter-than-usual columns and reinforced concrete beams. Their ground floors are weaker because they lack enclosing walls and do not rest directly on the ground, but on an insulating layer (ventilated crawl space).

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