ERES 2009

ERES 2009 is the seventh international conference in the series on Earthquake Resistant Engineering Structures organised by the Wessex Institute of Technology. The Meeting provides a unique forum for the discussion of basic and applied research in the various fields of earthquake engineering relevant to the design of structures. This Conference aims to discuss the state of the art in structures subjected to earthquakes, including the geophysical aspects, the behaviour of historical buildings, seismic isolation, retrofitting, base isolation and energy absorption systems, as well as a wide range of applications and case studies. The problem of protecting the built environment in earthquake-prone regions of the world involves not only the optimal design and construction of new facilities, but also the upgrading and rehabilitation of existing structures and infrastructures. The latter is a laborious and expensive task, which can be accomplished only gradually. However the inestimable loss of life and the colossal costs following a major earthquake in a metropolitan area, provide sufficient reason to make it an important challenge for the scientific and technical community.