Civil engineering structures are increasingly subjected to extreme hazards, which are not usually considered in structural design and assessment. On one hand, such hazards have a very low probability of occurrence, and on the other, they are expected to produce huge consequences on people and property. Extreme events include but are not limited to natural events (e.g. landslides, floods, hurricanes), technological events (e.g. impact, fires, explosions), man-made events (e.g. malicious actions, human errors in design, construction or maintenance), deterioration phenomena (e.g. steel corrosion, concrete carbonation), and cascade events (e.g. natural-technological events). Climate change and strong urbanization in some areas have further exacerbated the occurrence of extreme hazards and their impact. This has significantly increased the awareness of governments and standardization bodies to develop guidelines for collapse prevention and provisions in national and international structural codes.

This Summer School aims at providing fundamentals of structural robustness, large-displacement inelastic response of structures, disaster risk and resilience of structures and infrastructures, as well as methods for structural design, assessment and retrofitting against extreme hazards.

• Registration through the on-line form
• Payment deadline: 15 August 2026
• Course: 7-11 September 2026

Fees (in-person attendance):

• MSc and PhD Students: 450 €
• Postdocs, senior researchers, professionals, companies: 600 €

Included: lunches and coffee breaks for the 5 days of school, social dinner

Fees (online attendance) – not allowed to Federico II students:

• MSc and PhD Students: 200 €
• Postdocs, senior researchers, professionals, companies: 350 €

Included: participation through a global online platform.

Payment

The registration is free of VAT according to art. 10c. 20 DPR n. 633/1972 of Italian Law.

In case of direct payment by your institution first write to phd.dist@unina.it

Lecturers

• Fulvio PARISI (University of Naples Federico II, Italy) Director of the School
• José M. ADAM (Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain)
• André T. BECK (University of São Paulo, Brasil)
• Robby CASPEELE (Ghent University, Belgium)
• Bassam IZZUDDIN (Imperial College London, UK)

Thematic speakers

• Luchuan DING (Tongji University, China)
• Ludovico GRIECO (University of Naples Federico II, Italy)
• Laura IERIMONTI (University of Perugia, Italy)
• Paolo MARTINELLI (Politecnico di Milano, Italy)
• Elena MICELI (Politecnico di Torino, Italy)
• Elena MICHELINI (University of Parma, Italy)

Audience

• PhD students
• postdoctoral researchers
• professionals
• facility managers

SARAH Advanced School includes theoretical lectures, exercise classes, the analysis of real case studies and experimental tests, and thematic presentations.

The main topics of the SARAH Advanced School are listed as follows:

• Structural robustness and reliability in codes and guidelines
• Extreme events and modelling of abnormal loads on structures
• Forensic analysis of catastrophic failures
• Progressive collapse and extreme resisting mechanisms
• Reliability-based and risk-based design, assessment and retrofitting
• Computational strategies for structural response analysis under extreme conditions
• Probabilistic simulation and surrogate modelling
• Robustness quantification
• Experimental testing and structural monitoring for progressive collapse prevention
• Multi-hazard conditions and relationship between structural robustness and disaster resilience.

• Hybrid participation mode to enable worldwide attendance, particularly for those facing budget constraints or travel limitations.
• Young Researcher Sessions, where PhD students and postdoctoral researchers will have the opportunity to present their research, receive feedback from internationally recognised experts, and discuss ideas with fellow participants working on related topics.
• A special session dedicated to the outcomes of the national research project FAIL-SAFE, showcasing the latest advances in structural robustness and structural health monitoring to support model development, failure diagnosis and prognosis, and disaster resilience assessment.
• Four research talks on different topics related to structural robustness and the disaster resilience of civil infrastructure against extreme hazards.
• Video recordings of all lectures and presentations, which will be made available to participants through a dedicated web platform for long-term access.

DAY 1 | September 7, 2026

• 12:30 – 13:00 | Registration of participants
• 13:00 – 14:30 | Welcome Lunch
• 14:30 – 15:00 | Parisi: Opening and presentation of SARAH Advanced School 2026
• 15:00 – 16:30 | Caspeele: Structural robustness and reliability in codes and guidelines
• 16:30 – 17:00 | Coffee break
• 17:00 – 18:00 | Adam: Fuse-based segmentation method for robustness design of concrete buildings
• 18:00 – 19:00 | Caspeele: Experimental assessment of membrane action in concrete elements through large-scale testing

DAY 2 | September 8, 2026

• 09:30 – 11:00 | Adam: Evidence from full-scale testing of concrete frame buildings
• 11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee break
• 11:30 – 13:00 | Adam: Exercises and debate on monitoring systems for local failure detection to prevent progressive collapse
• 13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch break
• 14:30 – 15:00 | Research Talk 1 – Martinelli: Robustness of RC half-joint girder bridges:  recent advances from FIRMITAS project
• 15:00 – 16:00 | Technical Visit to Structural Engineering Experimental Laboratories
• 16:00 – 16:30 | Coffee break
• 16:30 – 18:00 | Young Researcher Session 1

DAY 3 | September 9, 2026

• 9:30 – 11:00 | Parisi: Progressive collapse and extreme resisting mechanisms
• 11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee break
• 11:30 – 13:00 | Parisi: Computational strategies and alternate load path analysis for  robustness assessment
• 13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch break
• 14:30 – 15:00 | Research Talk 2 – Grieco: Discontinuous modelling of PC bridges for progressive collapse analysis
• 15:00 – 16:00 | Parisi: Scenario-based robustness assessment of buildings and bridges
• 16:00 – 16:30 | Coffee break
• 16:30 – 18:00 | Young Researcher Session 2
• 20:00 | Social Dinner

DAY 4 | September 10, 2026

• 09:30 – 11:00 | Izzuddin: Simplified robustness assessment framework for multi-storey buildings with application to steel-composite buildings
• 11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee break
• 11:30 – 13:00 | Special session on the outcomes of FAIL-SAFE national research project | Parisi: Collapse analysis and residual load-bearing capacity of masonry buildings under geohazards via applied element simulation | Michelini: Structural assessment of existing RC frames affected by settlement and corrosion | Ierimonti: Risk-informed SHM and decision support for heritage structures in urban context
• 13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch break
• 14:30 – 16:00 | Izzuddin: Tying force method: shortcomings of existing approach and  recent developments
• 16:00 – 16:30 | Coffee break
• 16:30 – 18:00 | Izzuddin: Exercises on simplified robustness framework and tying force method for multi-storey buildings

DAY 5 | September 11, 2026

• 09:30 – 11:00 | Beck: Methodologies for reliability-based and risk-based design optimization
• 11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee break
• 11:30 – 13:00 | Beck: Optimal redundancy allocation in structural systems: some  fundamental results
• 13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch break
• 14:30 – 16:00 | Beck: Risk-based cost-benefit analysis of structural strengthening systems to mitigate disproportionate collapse
• 16:00 – 16:30 | Coffee break
• 16:30 – 17:00 | Research Talk 3 – Ding: An improved global factor method incorporating PDEM for global reliability analysis of RC frame buildings against progressive collapse
• 17:00 – 17:30 | Research Talk 4 – Miceli: Assessment of RC structures: uncertainties, NLNAs and Safety formats
• 17:30 | Closure of SARAH Advanced School 2026

A Welcome lunch will be held at the venue of SARAH Advanced School, soon after the registration of participants.

The Social dinner  will take place in the ancient city centre to allow participants to enjoy the history of Naples across centuries, from Greek and Roman ages till now. The venue is  Locanda del Cerriglio, an historic Italian restaurant established in 1288, located in via del Cerriglio 3.

SARAH Advanced School will be held at the University of Naples Federico II, in the Headquarters of the Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture (DiSt). DIST is a leading academic and research institution in the field of structural engineering. Rooted in a long-standing tradition of excellence, the Department builds upon the historical legacy of one of the oldest universities in Europe, founded in 1224. DiSt integrates advanced research, higher education, and technology transfer in areas such as structural mechanics, earthquake engineering, materials, and resilient infrastructure. Over the years, it has become a reference point at both national and international levels for studies on structural safety, risk assessment, and performance-based design under extreme hazards. The University of Naples Federico II is the oldest non-religious university in the world. Such a university was founded by King Frederick II on June 5, 1224. Therefore, in 2024 the University of Naples Federico II celebrated its 800th anniversary.

Address: Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples (Italy) - building 6, 1st floor, Manfredi Romano room

Naples is conveniently accessible by both air and rail.

• Air travel: participants travelling from abroad can fly directly to Capodichino International Airport (NAP) or connect through major European hubs with regular flights to Naples.
• Rail travel: high-speed train services provide fast and frequent connections between Naples and Italy's principal cities, making rail travel an efficient option for participants arriving via Rome or other Italian airports.

We suggest participants to check accommodation availability in the proximity of the School venue (Fuorigrotta area) or downtown, preferably close to Metro lines 2 and 6 stations.

Since September is still high season in Naples, participants are encouraged to explore accommodation options as soon as possible.
 

• sarah.school@unina.it

• Immacolata Diez immacolata.diez@unina.it
• Pia Di Salvo – pia.disalvo@unina.it
• Annarita Manzi – annarita.manzi@unina.it
• Valeria Peluso – valeria.peluso@unina.it
• Alessandra Sciarrino – alessandra.sciarrino@unina.it
• Maurizio Ranieri Tenti – maurizio.ranieritenti@unina.it
• Deborah Tomasello – detomas@unina.it