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GADRI Membership Application Form

Croatian
Name of Institute:

Centerfor

Earthquake

Engineering (CCEE), Faculty of Civil
Engineering University of Zagreb

Address:

Fra Andre Kačića Miošića 26, 10000
Zagreb, Croatia

Fax No:-Contact:

Josip Atalić

Title:

Associate Professor; Head of CCEE;

Institute web address:www.hcpi.hr / kontakt@hcpi.hr

Institute webpage URL: https://www.hcpi.hr/

Institute Outline:
In Croatia, there is a long tradition of research in the field of earthquake engineering,
but for decades we relied mainly on other regional centers (for example, IZIIS). Afterbecoming an independent country (1991), most issues related to earthquake
engineering were ignored (considering many other major problems), i.e. experts
worked individually/scattered at universities all over Croatia, including in Zagreb.
Experts and scientists from the Faculty of Civil Engineering (FCE), University ofZagreb, have participated for many years in various regional and international
scientific projects, conferences and workshops on earthquake-related topics and are
authors of numerous scientific papers published in regional and international
journals. They have acquired their knowledge through participation in projects,
training courses and workshops on disaster risk reduction, post-earthquake damage
assessment and rescue team collaboration. They have expanded their field
experience by participating in damage assessments after past devastating regional
earthquakes and floods.
Earthquakes that struck Zagreb on March 22, 2020, and Sisak-Moslavina County on

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December 28-29, 2020, were gamechanger. Faculty staff participated in all activities
aimed at mitigating the consequences of the earthquakes and helping in thereconstruction and recovery of the affected areas and community. Their activities
included:i.

organizing building inspections and leading relief efforts,ii.

developing a methodology and digital platform for assessing building damage
and usability,iii.

conducting on-site training and education for engineers,iv.

establishing the "Croatian Center for Earthquake Engineering" platform for
information and guidelines,v.

the publication of retrofitting manuals,vi.

the formation of a multidisciplinary working group for reconstruction
planning and the development of regulations,vii.

cooperation with the World Bank on damage assessment and estimation ofreconstruction costs for the Croatian Government and other initiatives.

viii.

many others.

In order to provide basic information to professionals in the field during the processof damage assessment, to gather all the knowledge and experience of scientists andexperts in the field of earthquake engineering and to build a strong network between
them, an unofficial platform called "Croatian Center for Earthquake Engineering"(www.HCPI.hr) was established a few days after the earthquake in Zagreb in March
2020. This platform led to the establishment of a centers for earthquake engineeringin Croatia. First, in early 2021, a new scientific research branch of the FCE called
the Croatian Center for Earthquake Engineering (CCEE) was officially establishedwith the great support of the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and State
Property, and the approval of the Ministry of Science and Education, which is also
the main source of funding for the research projects and other activities of the CCEE.
In October 2021, an association (NGO) named Croatian Center for Earthquake
Engineering – Intervention Service (CCEE-IS) was established, which gathers all
capacities/stakeholders at the state level (8 faculties, 5 chambers, 4 engineering
associations) - under the Civil Protection Department of the Ministry of Interior. The
idea of CCEE and CCEE-IS is a constructive cooperation between scientists,
engineers, authorities, emergency services and citizens in order to achieve the main
goals – preparedness and disaster risk reduction for the entire Croatian territory.
Although the CCEE research center was only founded in 2021, the research group's
infrastructure has sufficient financial support and a strong global network within
the scientific and professional community in the fields of earthquake engineering,seismic risk assessment, seismology and the design and retrofitting of existing13 June 2023/WJ/3

structures. As a branch of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb,
CCEE as a research center has the administrative support and available laboratory
equipment of the Structural Testing Laboratory of the Department of Engineering
Mechanics. After the 2020 earthquakes, establishment of a new laboratory started,
more specialized for research in the field of earthquake engineering, and most key
steps have already been taken.

Research Interests (areas of research disciplines, number of faculty members, etc.):
The CCEE research center consists of a committee of 20 members (full professors,
associate professors and assistant professors), two researchers (currently one
postdoctoral researcher and one PhD student) and 7 PhD students. The CCEE
collaborates with numerous researchers from other departments of the FCE andother universities, practitioners, institutes in Europe and worldwide. The teammembers are researchers in the field of earthquake engineering and seismic risk
assessment. They have participated in various research projects and have publishednumerous scientific and technical papers in globally recognized journals. The group
actively cooperates with national and regional organizations and authorities, suchas the Croatian Chamber of Civil Engineers, the Ministry of Interior (Civil Protection
Department), and international foundations and organizations such as the Global
Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation, EFEHR (European Facilities for Earthquake
Hazard and Risk) Consortium, the World Bank Group, etc.

Fig. 1. CCEE committee members (left) and PhD students and postdoctoral researchers with theleader of the CCEE (right)

Members of the CCEE research team have been at the forefront of seismic risk
assessment in Croatia. They conducted a seismic risk assessment for the Republic of
Croatia in 2014 in cooperation with the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction,and State Assets and the Department for Civil Protection of the Ministry of Interior.
The assessment was updated in 2018 and 2022, when the team again took the lead.
Currently, CCEE and FCE, in cooperation with the Department of Emergency

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Management of the City of Zagreb, are leading a project funded by the European
Structural and Investment Funds entitled “Seismic Risk Assessment of the City ofZagreb”. The research group is also working on several professional projects for the
structural design and seismic assessment of cultural heritage buildings andbuildings of national interest, such as the Zagreb Cathedral, Croatian National
Theatre building, Palace of Justice etc. There are many different activities because
the center is recognized as a center of knowledge, for example the CCEE team has
collaborated with the Department of Civil Protection in the project “Towards Disaster
Risk Reduction" to set up a virtual laboratory – a truck trailer containing actuatorsfor earthquake shaking simulation with visual effects.
To achieve CCEE's main objectives of earthquake risk reduction and the developmentof a resilient community in Croatia, the main activities, defined during the processof establishment of CCEE (2021), are:•Research and development of scientific foundations in the field of earthquake
engineering and seismic risk assessment, in particular in the field of detailed
inspection of structures, structural performance of existing structures andcultural heritage, and design of structures of national interest.

•

Laboratory and field tests related to earthquake engineering.

•

Development of strategic plans and programs in the field of earthquake
engineering.

•

Activities in higher education in earthquake engineering, seismic risk
reduction and various types of professional and scientific training forengineers and experts according to the state-of-the art research.

•

Training in earthquake preparedness and earthquake engineering forengineers, intervention units, government officials, other public sector
employees and industry personnel.

•

Organization and implementation of post-earthquake building damage
assessment and cooperation with emergency services.

•

Development of a methodology for seismic certification, implementation andtraining for the issuance of seismic certificates.

•

Activities aimed to develop, protect, maintain and analyze databases ofbuildings (exposure models), especially information on structural properties
required for seismic risk assessment and strategic planning.

These activities are developing within the framework of an extensive research projectcalled ’’Research in the field of earthquake engineering’’ financed by the government.
In addition, the CCEE has launched 8 scientific projects/activities, covering different
areas in the field of earthquake engineering: structural health monitoring,development of program packages and standards for out-of-plane mechanism

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calculations according to Eurocode 1998-3, development of a tool to train engineers
for efficient and rapid damage assessment using virtual reality (VR), seismic
performance and vulnerability of existing masonry buildings built in aggregates,
preliminary and rapid analysis of the seismic resistance of existing structures using
visual programming, damage assessment using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV),
development of an improved digital form for visual damage assessment taking into
account experience from past earthquakes, development of form for damage
assessment of bridges, and seismic risk assessment of educational buildings in
Croatia.

Figure 2. Flowchart of CCEE projects and activities for the development of a resilient community
in Croatia

A brief description of Research Achievements and Challenges:
The main challenges of the CCEE team are:•Development and implementation of methodology for seismic certification.

•

Improvement of existing damage assessment methodology and digital forms
for visual inspection.

•

Improvement of retrofit techniques and methods.

•

Improvement of existing and application of new methods for seismic risk
assessment and development of reliable exposure, fragility, and consequencemodels.

•Advancement of experimental and numerical simulation techniques throughvarious scientific projects.

•

Disseminating earthquake engineering knowledge to increase awareness ofseismic risk in the community and raising of the level of knowledge in
general.

•…

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The research achievement of the CCEE team can be summarized as follows:
Scientific project leading:•(2021 – 1st Jan 2024) Members of CCEE are a part of the team of the project"Seismic Risk Assessment of the City of Zagreb", funded by the European
structural and investment funds. The project's primary goal is to develop adetailed exposure model of buildings, collect data building by building,conduct a seismic risk analysis using OpenQuake developed by the Global
Earthquake Model Foundation and present the results to the city authorities
and emergency services. Since a quarter of the Croatian population lives in
the City of Zagreb, the project is intended to be a pilot project for seismic risk
assessment for the whole Croatian territory.

•(2022 – on-going) Research grant holders for the research project entitled"New vulnerability models of typical buildings in urban areas: applications
in seismic risk assessment and target retrofitting methodology – 2BESAFE", the aim of which is to improve methods for a comprehensive definition of
the behavior of structures under seismic action, and to develop a methodology
for targeted retrofitting of critical structures.

•(2020 – on-going) Research grant holders for the research project entitled"Assessment and Reconstruction of Existing Structures – ARES" focused onlowering the earthquake risk for masonry and wooden structures.

•(2021 – 2022) Partner of the project "Learn to be Resilient – L2BR" funded by
ECHO (DG for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations)
under the coordination of Réseau des Associations Nationales de Pouvoirs
Locaux de L'Europe du Sud-Est (NALAS).

•…

Participation in projects and technical committees:•

Members of the working group for creating the National strategy until 2030•

Members of the working group for security for developing the National
Development Strategy until 2030 and the technical committee HZN / TO 548/ PO 8 (Eurocode 8).

•

Part of the national MUSAR rescue team from the ruins (within the Civil
Protection Directorate of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Croatia)
as a construction expert with experience in numerous exercises (Alessandria
2015, Ston and Austria 2016, Istria 2017 and Cascade19 in Portugal)•

Collaboration on the project "Management Plan for the Protected Monumentof the City of Dubrovnik" led by the Faculty of Architecture, University ofZagreb (UNESCO initiative).

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Participation in the implementation of the Interreg project "Resilience
Enhancement of the Adriatic Basin from companies and SeiSmic hazards –READINESS" within which buildings of special (strategic) importance, suchas schools and hospitals. Capability).

•

Active contribution to developing the European earthquake exposure model
within the Horizon 2020 SERA project.

•

Participation in the international project "Matilda” (MultinATIonal module
on Damage Assessment and CounTermeasures – Civil Protection Preparatory
Action on an EU Rapid Response Capability).

•…

Higher education:•

Lecturers in undergraduate study courses:oMechanics 1, Mechanics 2, Structural analysis 1, Concrete structures
1, Masonry structures, Strength of Materials 1 and 2, Concrete andMasonry Structures, Numerical Modelling of Structures, Metal
Structures, Bridges, Railways, Construction Management, Education
on Construction Site.

•

Lecturers in courses of the following graduate programs:oStructural Engineering, Theory and Modelling of Structures,Construction

Materials,

Construction

Management,

HydraulicEngineering and Transportation Engineering.
•

In 2022, a new post-graduate specialist study entitled "Earthquake
Engineering" was approved by the Ministry of Science and Education. The
study is being held for the first time in this academic year, 2023/2024, with15 students enrolled. A brief description of the program: The post-graduate
specialist study Earthquake Engineering is intended as a form of professional
development, i.e., lifelong learning, primarily for civil and advanced
architectural engineers who deal with the design and construction ofseismically resistant buildings. The study is based on the application ofscientifically based knowledge about the behavior of structures in an
earthquake and modern standards for seismic-resistant design. Participants
will be able to acquire knowledge and skills in the field of structuraldynamics, application of modern methods of analyses, techniques forstrengthening existing structures, rehabilitation of historical buildings –cultural heritage, methodology for earthquake risk assessment, testing ofstructures and materials, seismic-resistant design of bridges, application ofisolators and other devices for energy consumption, the use of modernmaterials and construction technology.

•…

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Post-earthquake activities:•

Participation in damage assessments of buildings after the earthquake in
Albania (2019) as part of the assistance of the Government of the Republic of
Croatia activated through the Coordination Center for Emergency Response(ERCC) of the Civil Protection Union Mechanism.

•

The main coordinators of the damage and usability assessment of buildings
after the earthquake in Zagreb in March 2020 and after the earthquake inPetrinja in December 2020, by organizing a system for damage assessmentsof buildings and forming crisis headquarters for the management ofengineers and civil services involved in relief activities.

•

Development and integration of a digital form for damage assessment andusability classification of buildings into a Geospatial Information System(GIS) application.

•

Organization of on-site education and training to help engineers conduct
reliable damage assessments after earthquakes.

•

Development and management of GIS databases containing information on
25,000 buildings after the Zagreb earthquake and more than 46,000 buildings
after the Petrinja earthquake, which were directly accessible to all interested
parties (emergency services, various city offices, government services andoffices – decision makers).

•

Organization of an expert working group to prepare a reconstruction plan,
which resulted with the basis for the development of technical laws andregulations.

•

Organization of various expert meetings and consultations to help all
participants included in post-earthquake reconstruction efforts, organizationof webinars and online consultations.

•…

Figure 3. Headquarters for operational field management at the EMO and volunteers-experts inthe field during the COVID-19 pandemic

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Studies and technical reports:•

Authors of the Seismic Risk Assessment for the City of Zagreb, 2024.

•

Authors of the Seismic Risk Assessment of Croatia in 2014 and of the updates
in 2018 and 2022 in collaboration with Ministry of Physical Planning,
Construction, and State Assets.

•

Development of a disaster risk management strategy, 2018 – 2020.

•

Authors of a series of 8 studies for mitigation of the consequences ofearthquakes in the City of Zagreb, 2014 – 2022.

•

Technical support and consultants for preparation of the document"CROATIA EARTHQUAKE 2020: Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment"
after the Zagreb earthquake and "CROATIA DECEMBER EARTHQUAKE
2020: Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment" after the Petrinja earthquake
in collaboration with the World Bank and Croatian Government.

•

Technical support and consultants for preparation of the document "Rapid
Damage and Needs Assessment for the Cities of Sisak, Petrinja, and Glina –December 2020 Earthquake" after the Petrinja earthquake in collaboration
with the World Bank and Croatian Government.

•

Authors of the document "Report on Seismic Risk Assessment of Emergency
Response Facilities in Croatia – Supporting disaster resilience in Croatia",
the World Bank, 2023.

•…

Active professional projects of seismic performance and retrofitting of damagedbuildings:•

Zagreb Cathedral (2021 – )•National Theater Building (2022 – )•Palace of Justice (2022 – )•Seismic performance assessment of the building of the University of Zagreb(2021 - )•Building of the Faculty of Teacher Education, Petrinja (2021 - )•…

Authorship of books and manuals:•

Authors of the manual "Urgent Program of Seismic Reconstruction" incollaboration with the Croatian Chamber of Civil Engineers (2020).

•

Authors of the book "Retrofitting of Masonry Buildings" (2021).

•…

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Organization of conferences, symposium, and workshops:•

Organization of 1st Croatian Conference on Earthquake Engineering
1CroCEE 22 – 24 March 2021, Zagreb, Croatia•

Organization of 2nd Croatian Conference on Earthquake Engineering
2CroCEE 22 - 24 March 2023, Zagreb, Croatia•

Workshop on seismic hazard and risk assessment using OpenQuake, Zagreb,
September 2023.

•…

Organization of lecturers and training for experts and engineers:•

Series of scientific and professional lectures to help recover the community
after the 2020 Zagreb and Petrinja earthquakes, 2020 – 2021. Recordings ofthe videos can be found on the following link:www.hcpi.hr/webinarisavjetovanjapredavanja-67•

Vitor Silva, "Earthquake Risk Assessment: Are We Doing Enough?, January
2021.

•

The Building Centre of Japan, "Build Back Better Together – Supporting the
Post-Earthquake

Reconstruction

through

Japan-Croatia

Knowledge

Exchange", September 2022.
•

Paulo Bazzuro, Development of fragility curves for risk assessment of specificbuildings focusing on ground motion selection techniques: dos and don'ts,
Zagreb, January 2023.

•…

Comparative advantage/contribution to GADRI Activities:•

The CCEE was established to pool the knowledge and experience of Croatian
researchers in the field of earthquake engineering and to help Croatian
citizens and the entire community after disasters such as earthquakes orother events. Dissemination of scientific knowledge to engineers, design andconstruction companies and decision makers has been recognized as apriority in developing a resilient system. A strong network with thegovernment and municipalities after the recent earthquakes has become an
excellent basis for the application of scientific research results from GADRI
members to validate, calibrate, modify, and directly implement the results in
the Croatian system.

•

The importance of solid alliance organizations such as GADRI can behighlighted by good knowledge dissemination and implementation in the
Croatian disaster risk reduction system. The lessons learned from past

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earthquakes could be an excellent example for other countries with similar
structural typologies and communities in East-Central Europe and theBalkan regions, but also for other small countries worldwide where theseismic risk is high.
Expected Outputs/Results:•

Croatia, as a small country, has proven its adaptable capacity after the recent
earthquakes in 2020, but the disaster risk reduction system is still in thedevelopment phase. The main objective of CCEE is to support authorities anddecision-makers in disaster preparedness and reducing the seismic
vulnerability of buildings and infrastructure, improving the response
capacity to disaster events, and making the whole community more resilient.
To achieve these goals, the most important steps and activities should be
defined and prioritized in this early development phase. The extensive
knowledge and experience of experts such as those at GADRI could be crucial
in establishing these key steps.

•

Preventing disasters and responding effectively to catastrophic events
through high-quality scientific research programs by learning from theexperiences of GADRI members.