READMODE · REliability and risk Assessment of flexible MOdular structures with vibration control DEvices in multi-hazard environments

REliability and risk Assessment of flexible MOdular structures with vibration control DEvices in multi-hazard environments

Across Europe, buildings and infrastructure are increasingly exposed to earthquakes, strong winds, and climate-driven extreme events. At the same time, there is a growing demand for rapid, sustainable, and modular construction solutions that reduce costs, material use, and environmental impact. Modular buildings—constructed from prefabricated units assembled on-site—offer major advantages in speed and sustainability. However, because these systems are often lighter and more flexible than conventional structures, they can be more sensitive to dynamic loads such as seismic shaking and wind-induced vibrations. In parallel, Europe is accelerating the deployment of renewable energy systems, including offshore wind turbines, which must operate safely under combined environmental hazards such as wind, waves, and seismic loading. Ensuring the reliability and resilience of these systems is critical for achieving climate neutrality and strengthening energy security. The project addressed these challenges by developing advanced methods to evaluate and improve the safety, reliability, and resilience of modular buildings and renewable energy structures under multiple hazards. Instead of relying only on traditional deterministic safety factors, the project adopted a probabilistic approach. This means explicitly accounting for uncertainties in material properties, geometry, connections, and loading conditions in order to compute failure probabilities and quantify risk in a transparent and scientifically rigorous way. The overall objectives were: To compute the probability of structural failure of modular systems under dynamic loading within a comprehensive probabilistic framework. To evaluate joint failure probabilities under multiple hazards (e.g., earthquake and wind), enabling more realistic risk assessment. To quantify resilience and robustness, and to design optimized vibration control systems that enhance structural performance under extreme events. By integrating structural dynamics, uncertainty quantification, and adaptive vibration control, the project provides a new pathway toward safer and more sustainable infrastructure systems. The expected impact includes improved design guidelines for modular construction, enhanced safety of renewable energy infrastructure, and reduced lifecycle environmental costs through risk-informed optimization. The project directly contributes to European priorities on climate adaptation, resilient infrastructure, and sustainable construction under the European Green Deal.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union