A device for damping movements of structural and non structural elements in civil engineering structures, the device comprising: - two side plates, - a first piece of a visco-elastic material in a joint for visco-elastic damping of relative movement between the side plates, - a first piece of a friction material arranged in contact with the visco-elastic material, - clamping means (132, 135, 136, 137) for clamping the plates together, so as to provide a clamping force applying a compressive force against the visco-elastic material, and - means for connecting each of the two side plates to respective ones of the structural elements, characterised in that - the device further comprises a central plate, a second piece of a visco-elastic material, a second piece of a friction material, and means for connecting the central plate to a respective one of the structural elements, wherein - the two side plates are arranged symmetrically around the central plate, - each piece of the two pieces of a visco-elastic material is arranged between a respective one of the side plates and the central plate in said joint for visco-elastic damping of relative movement between the side plates and the central plate, - each piece of the two pieces of friction material is arranged between and in contact with a respective one of the plates (134, 131) and the visco-elastic material for a combined frictional and visco-elastic damping of relative movement between the two side plates and the central plate, and - each end of each of the two pieces of a visco-elastic material is fixed and non-slidable attached to an adjacent plate (134, 131) or to a piece of a friction material in said joint. - two side plates, - a first piece of a visco-elastic material in a joint for visco-elastic damping of relative movement between the side plates, - a first piece of a friction material arranged in contact with the visco-elastic material, - clamping means (132, 135, 136, 137) for clamping the plates together, so as to provide a clamping force applying a compressive force against the visco-elastic material, and - means for connecting each of the two side plates to respective ones of the structural elements, characterised in that - the device further comprises a central plate, a second piece of a visco-elastic material, a second piece of a friction material, and means for connecting the central plate to a respective one of the structural elements, wherein - the two side plates are arranged symmetrically around the central plate, - each piece of the two pieces of a visco-elastic material is arranged between a respective one of the side plates and the central plate in said joint for visco-elastic damping of relative movement between the side plates and the central plate, - each piece of the two pieces of friction material is arranged between and in contact with a respective one of the plates (134, 131) and the visco-elastic material for a combined frictional and visco-elastic damping of relative movement between the two side plates and the central plate, and - each end of each of the two pieces of a visco-elastic material is fixed and non-slidable attached to an adjacent plate (134, 131) or to a piece of a friction material in said joint.