Effects of deep excavations on existing buildings: a case study

In this paper the issue of evaluating the effects produced by deep excavations on the built environment in urban areas and historical centres is discussed. Deep excavations unavoidably cause a fi eld of soil deformations affecting the surrounding buildings. A second level probabilistic analysis on these effects is described for a case-study. In particular, a comparison between the obtained results and those estimated by using widely adopted empirical methods is carried out. The aim is to give a contribution towards defi ning probabilistic methods in order to predict buildings damage on varying excavation depths and edge distances and towards supporting design decisions taking into account the need for both requirements of urban development and protection of the built environment.