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Type
Lecture

The 19th Mallet-Milne Lecture: Risk management and rehousing of people displaced by earthquake disasters

Event organised by Society for Earthquake and Civil Engineering Dynamics

Date
28 May 2025
Time
18:00 - 21:00 BST (GMT+1)
Location
Institution of Civil Engineers
One Great George Street
Westminster
London, SW1P 3AA
United Kingdom
Add to Calendar 28-05-2025 18:00 28-05-2025 21:00 false Europe/London The 19th Mallet-Milne Lecture: Risk management and rehousing of people displaced by earthquake disasters https://ice.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/the-19th-mallet-milne-lecture Institution of Civil Engineers, London

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Free

Overview

The Mallet-Milne lecture is SECED’s biennial prestige lecture, delivered by an eminent researcher or professional who has made significant contributions in the fields of seismology or earthquake engineering.

The 19th Mallet-Milne lecture will be delivered by Professor Michele Calvi, and is entitled “Risk management and rehousing of people displaced by earthquake disasters”.

In his lecture, Professor Calvi will describe reconstruction efforts following damaging earthquakes over the last century (and more) have typically taken place over years or decades, and the social upheaval resulting from large displaced populations can last even longer.

He will then describe a notable success story in the residential reconstruction programme following the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake in Italy, in which standardised base-isolation platforms were designed to allow resilient and rapid multi-unit housing development in months, rather than years. 

Learning from the L’Aquila programme, Professor Calvi outlines a risk management planning process that could be carried out across a country like Italy.

The proposal is to use quantitative risk assessment to identify urban areas with the highest risk of large numbers of displaced residents. Then, for each of these areas, it would be mandatory to develop an emergency reconstruction plan instead of a broader national plan.

This would entail maintaining a database of likely numbers and the type of housing required following a major earthquake, and pre-identification of other design requirements, such as land available and appropriate for building, seismic design accelerations, and local soil conditions.

Finally, Calvi demonstrates how reference base isolation designs can be developed for a range of seismic hazard levels and building sizes, such that isolated platforms can be rapidly developed in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. 

The lecture is free and open to everyone and will be followed by a drinks and canapés reception, where you’ll have the chance to network, share insights, and connect with fellow attendees. 

Tickets for the drinks reception are limited and priced at just £20 - early booking is highly encouraged. Book your ticket using the "Booking options" button above.

Organised by

Society for Earthquake and Civil Engineering Dynamics

Society for Earthquake and Civil Engineering Dynamics

SECED promotes the study and practice of earthquake engineering, dynamics, and vibration issues like blast and impact.

Gold sponsor
Ramboll

Ramboll

Ramboll is a global engineering, architecture and consultancy company founded in Denmark in 1945 with over 16,000 experts that create sustainable solutions.

Gold sponsor
Servotest

Servotest

Servotest is a UK-based specialist supplier of innovative custom servo-hydraulic mechanical testing solutions.

Venue

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Institution of Civil Engineers
One Great George Street
Westminster
London
SW1P 3AA
United Kingdom

Programme

17:30 - 18:00

Registration and refreshments

18:00 - 19:30

Mallett Milne Lecture

19:30 - 21:30

Drinks reception

Speaker

Gian Michele Calvi

Gian Michele Calvi

University Institute of Advanced Studies

professor

Read more

Gian Michele Calvi

Gian Michele Calvi (1957), is professor at the IUSS Pavia, Italy, and Adjunct Professor at the North Carolina State University. He received a Master of Science from the University of California, Berkeley, a PhD from the Politecnico di Milano and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Cujo, Mendoza, Argentina.

He is the author of hundreds of research publications spanning diverse aspects of earthquake engineering, including seismic design and assessment methodologies for new and existing structures, with a special focus on masonry and reinforced concrete buildings and bridges; development of displacement-based seismic design methodologies; and seismic isolation technologies and their application.

He has also been designer, consultant or checker for many structural projects, including the Rion-Antirion cable-stayed bridge (2883 m, in Greece), the Bolu viaduct (119 spans, in Turkey) and the new housing system developed in the aftermath of the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake, wherein 185 seismically-isolated buildings were constructed in just six months to rehouse the displaced population.

Professor Calvi is the founder of the Eucentre Foundation, the earthquake engineering research centre and laboratory based in Pavia, Italy, and of the ROSE School, the post-graduate training programme that has trained hundreds of engineers and researchers for more than two decades.

He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the GEM Foundation and is the President Elect of the International Association of Earthquake Engineering (IAEE). He is also an associate editor of the Journal of Earthquake Engineering (Taylor and Francis) and has been an invited keynote speaker in tens of conferences, including two World and four European Conferences on Earthquake Engineering. 

For more information please contact:

Shelly-Ann Russell

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