Paolo Martino Calvi

Biography

Paolo Calvi is an Associate Professor of Structural Engineering and serves as Associate Department Chair for Community. He is an internationally recognized expert in earthquake engineering and in the performance assessment of aging and deficient infrastructure.

His research integrates large-scale experimental testing with advanced numerical and analytical modeling to develop practical tools for the design and assessment of structures subjected to earthquakes, wind, and other natural hazards. His interests include the investigation, development, and implementation of response-control systems using passive, semi-active, and active technologies, as well as advancing the understanding of structural behavior affected by design deficiencies and long-term deterioration, including corrosion and material degradation.

He has led and contributed to numerous full-scale destructive laboratory and field investigations involving reinforced concrete and steel–concrete composite structures, as well as systems equipped with seismic base isolation and active mass dampers. His research has resulted in a substantial body of highly cited peer-reviewed publications and has received international recognition, including the 2021 Charles Z. Zollman Award and the 2020 IABSE Outstanding Paper Award.

He designed and supervised the construction of the UW Panel Element Tester, a unique experimental facility capable of applying arbitrary combinations of in-plane stresses to thin membrane specimens. He has served as principal investigator on major national and international research projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), the American Concrete Institute (ACI), the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), and the European Union’s Horizon Europe program.

A registered Professional Engineer in Italy, he has been actively involved in post-earthquake reconnaissance and international consulting efforts. His experience includes serving on post-earthquake reconnaissance teams, such as the EERI Reconnaissance Team following the Central Italy earthquake of August 24, 2016, as well as contributing to high-profile projects including investigations related to the 2018 Morandi Bridge collapse and the design of the active damping system for the Genoa Control Tower, a project recognized with the 2025 Plan Award.

Education

• Ph.D., University of Toronto, 2015
• M.S., University of Pavia, 2010
• B.S., University of Pavia, 2008

Previous appointments

• Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, September 2015 September 2021
• European Centre for Training and Research in Earthquake Engineering, 2015 (Italy)

Research Statement

Prof. Calvi’s research focuses on the seismic performance of reinforced concrete, steel, and composite structures; performance assessment of aging and deficient infrastructure; development and implementation of innovative response-control systems, including passive, semi-active, and active technologies; experimental and numerical investigation of structural behavior under extreme loading; and understanding the long-term effects of deterioration, corrosion, and design deficiencies on structural resilience.

Current projects

Long-Term Performance Assessment of Base Isolated Buildings (2024 – 2027)

Base isolation is widely recognized as one of the most effective strategies for protecting structures and their contents from earthquake-induced damage, in both new construction and retrofit applications. By lengthening the fundamental vibration period and increasing damping, base isolation reduces seismic forces while concentrating displacements within the isolation layer, thereby minimizing story drifts and structural damage.

Despite its proven effectiveness, current understanding of isolated building performance is largely based on component-level testing of new isolation bearings. Far less is known about the system-level behavior of buildings containing large populations of isolators with inherent property variability, their interaction with the sub- and superstructure, and the effects of long-term aging and deterioration. To date, no studies have examined the in-situ, system-level performance of aged base-isolated buildings.

This project addresses this critical gap through full-scale, in-situ static and dynamic testing of buildings isolated with friction pendulum systems that have been in service for approximately 15 years. Complementary numerical and component-level experimental investigations examine aging, deterioration, mechanical variability across the isolation plane, and structure–isolation interaction effects.

The results will provide the first field-based evidence of system-level aging in isolated buildings and will inform improved design, assessment, and modeling practices. Through close collaboration with industry partners, the findings will be rapidly disseminated to practice, contributing to enhanced seismic resilience and the long-term functionality of isolated structures.

Design and Testing of High-Load Multi-Rotational Disc Bearings for Bridges (2026 – 2029)

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) LRFD Bridge Design Specifications (BDS) currently provide limited guidance for the design of disc bearings. Existing BDS provisions are largely based on research conducted in the 1980s and published in 1999. At that time, disc bearings were manufactured by a single company, and experimental testing was conducted on a small and proprietary set of specimens.

Since the adoption of these specifications, the disc bearing market has expanded significantly, with multiple manufacturers now producing bearings and with notable advancements in materials, fabrication, and performance expectations. However, the lack of updated, comprehensive research has left bridge designers dependent on manufacturer-specific, in-house designs. This reliance introduces uncertainty and can lead to inconsistent reliability and performance across projects.

The objective of this research is to develop robust, unified design procedures and acceptance testing methods and criteria for high-load multi-rotational (HLMR) disc bearings for highway bridges. The proposed guidance will be applicable across all relevant design limit states.

The project integrates laboratory testing of full-scale disc bearings, comprehensive material characterization, and advanced numerical and analytical modeling to support the development of modern, performance-based design and testing criteria.

Development of a Degrading Crack Model for Direct Crack-Based Assessment of Damaged Reinforced Concrete Structures (2026 – 2028)

Aging infrastructure poses a significant risk to society, demanding urgent and effective solutions. In the past two decades, over 100 bridges have unexpectedly collapsed worldwide—excluding seismic events—highlighting the critical need for improved structural assessment. One tragic example is the Morandi Bridge collapse (Italy) on August 14, 2018, which claimed 43 lives.

Reliable assessment of distressed structures is essential for determining their health and the need for retrofitting. This project develops an innovative direct damage-based assessment model for reinforced and pre-stressed concrete structures. Unlike traditional approaches that consider damage as an analysis output, this model directly uses measurable damage indicators—such as surface cracks—to estimate a structure’s damage state and reserve capacity, providing rapid and actionable insights into structural deficiencies.

This inverse modeling approach represents a major breakthrough in structural assessment. In the long term, it is expected to drive a paradigm shift in how we evaluate concrete infrastructure, influencing operational decisions, industry practices, and societal norms—particularly within the transportation sector.

Development and Implementation of a Novel Steel-Concrete Composite Moment Resisting Frame (2026 – 2028)

Reinforced concrete (RC) moment-resisting frame (MRF) structures have long been a widely used system for resisting gravity and lateral loads. However, past earthquake performance has shown that some RC frame buildings can be vulnerable to ground-motion effects, motivating continued efforts to improve reliability, safety, constructability, and overall structural performance.

This project focuses on the development of a novel steel–concrete composite frame system designed for accelerated building construction and high-performance applications. Compared with conventional cast-in-place RC MRFs, the proposed system offers significant advantages, including faster construction, improved on-site safety, enhanced durability, and greater quality control through prefabrication. These characteristics make the system particularly attractive for essential facilities, such as hospitals, where construction speed and performance reliability are critical.

The proposed composite system consists of concrete-filled steel columns and self-supporting truss beams composed of steel plate top and bottom chords connected by a welded bent-plate truss that provides shear resistance. Once the prefabricated components are erected, concrete is cast in situ to complete the structural system.

The project investigates the structural performance of the composite beams under combined shear and flexural demands, as well as the behavior of beam–column connections subjected to vertical and lateral loading. Full-scale experimental testing is integrated with advanced nonlinear numerical analyses. The results will inform practical design recommendations and implementation guidelines to support safe and efficient adoption in practice.

Development and Implementation of Active Mass Dampers for Wind and Seismic Applications (2024 – 2028)

Strong earthquake and wind events can cause severe structural damage and lead to major social and economic disruption within affected communities. To mitigate these risks, a wide range of structural strengthening and response-control strategies have been developed to enhance the performance of deficient or vulnerable buildings. Among these, response-control systems aim to reduce seismic and wind demands by modifying the dynamic behavior of a structure and dissipating or counteracting input energy through dedicated devices. These systems may be passive, semi-active, or active in nature.

This project focuses on the development and implementation of an innovative electrical Active Mass Damper (AMD) system, capable of providing adaptive protection for buildings subjected to earthquake and wind loading. Active control systems generate counteracting forces through electro-mechanical actuators based on real-time feedback from the structure, enabling performance enhancement across multiple hazard intensity levels for both new and existing buildings.

Conducted in close collaboration with the Milan-based company ISAAC, the project investigates the optimization, reliability, and effectiveness of the proposed AMD through a comprehensive research program. This includes component-level testing, full-scale shake-table experiments, and advanced numerical simulations.

The project outcomes will support the development of a simulation-driven design framework and practical guidelines for the modeling, design, and implementation of active control systems. Ultimately, this research aims to advance safer, more resilient, and sustainable structures capable of maintaining functionality under extreme loading events.

Reduction of Seismic Vulnerability and Risk of Steel Storage Pallet Racks (2026 – 2028)

This project is an international research collaboration led by the University of Pavia and the Eucentre Foundation (Italy), with partner institutions contributing complementary expertise in seismic risk assessment, structural testing, and industrial applications.

Steel storage pallet racks are critical components of modern logistics and supply-chain infrastructure and must remain functional following extreme events such as earthquakes. Observed damage to rack systems in past earthquakes has highlighted the lack of reliable loss-assessment methodologies, limiting the ability of stakeholders to quantify risk, plan retrofits, and make informed investment decisions. This project addresses this gap by developing a practice-oriented framework to assess the seismic vulnerability and losses of steel storage pallet racks, including both structural components and stored contents.

The proposed methodology is applied to representative rack archetypes and validated through advanced numerical analyses under medium- and high-seismic-hazard scenarios. Risk metrics such as collapse fragility, total losses, and expected annual losses are derived, enabling a detailed understanding of how hazard level, component behavior, and contents contribute to overall risk.

Building on this assessment framework, the project develops innovative and sustainable retrofitting strategies to enhance the seismic performance of existing rack systems. New devices targeting connection strength, ductility, and global rack behavior are designed, numerically evaluated, and experimentally validated through full-scale shake-table testing. The outcomes will culminate in practical design and implementation guidelines, supporting safer, more resilient, and sustainable logistics infrastructure.

Select publications

1. 1. P.M. Calvi, L. Bogni, A. Bussini, S. Cii, L.Bandini, F. Ripamonti (2026). “Implementation of active mass damping for wind-induced vibration mitigation: The Genoa Control Tower”, Structures, Volume 83, January 2026, 110871.
2. 2. P.M. Calvi, A. Rapone, G. Gabbianelli, T.C. Becker, H. Sucuoğlu, B. Chalarca, I. Lanese, E. Rizzo-Parisi, G.J. O’Reilly, F. Dacarro (2026). “Dynamic Field Testing of a 15-Year-Old Friction Pendulum Base-Isolated Residential Building”, Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, Volume 200, Part A, January 2026, 109802.
3. 3. J.P. Gaston, B. Farag, T. Thonstad, P.M. Calvi (2025). “Experimental Shear Behavior of Marco-Synthetic Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Panels”, Fibers, Issue 10, Volume 13, 2025.
4. 4. P.M. Calvi, E. Che, T. Sweet, L. Lowes, J. Berman (2024). “Data Collection Using Terrestrial Laser Scanners from the Shake Table Test of a Full-Scale Reinforced Concrete Building”, ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 150, Issue 2.
5. 5. W. Galik, P.M. Calvi (2024). “Corrosion and Fatigue Coupling: Assessment of a Prestressed Concrete Cable Stay”, ASCE Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities, Vol. 38, Issue 1.
6. 6. W. Galik, P.M. Calvi (2023). “Experimental and Numerical Response of Steel-Concrete Composite NPS Beams”, Engineering Structures, Vol. 290, 1 September 2023, 116362.
7. 7. G. Rebecchi, P.M. Calvi, A. Bussini, D. Bolognini, L. Grottoli, Stefano Cii, Matteo Rosti, Francesco Ripamonti (2023). “Full-scale shake table tests of a reinforced concrete building equipped with a novel servo-hydraulic active mass damper”, Journal of Earthquake Engineering, Vol. 27, Issue 10, 2702-2725.
8. 8. M. Rosti, S. Cii, A. Bussini. P.M. Calvi, F. Ripamonti (2023). “Design and Validation of a Hardware-In-the-Loop Test Bench for Evaluating the Performance of an Active Mass Damper”, Journal of Vibration and Control, Vol. 29, Issue 17-18.
9. 9. N. Scattarreggia, W. Galik, P.M. Calvi, M. Moratti, A. Orgnoni, R. Pinho (2022) “Analytical and numerical analysis of the torsional response of the multi-cell deck of a collapsed cable-stayed bridge”, Engineering Structures, Vol. 265, 15 August 2022, 114412.
10. 10. J. Stanton, P.M. Calvi (2022). “A Model for Stud Groups Subjected to Shear and Bending”, Engineering Structures, 260 (2022) 114182.
11. 11. P.M. Calvi, S. Ahn, D. Lehman (2022). “Shear Capacity of Cold Joints with Conventional and High-Strength Reinforcement”, ACI Structural Journal, Vol 119, Issue 5.
12. 12. D. Voytko, P.M. Calvi, J. Stanton (2022). “Shear Strength of Ultra High-Performance Concrete”, Engineering Structures, Volume 255, 113961.
13. 13. A. Albright, A. Argentoni, P.M. Calvi (2022). “Experimental Behavior of Interior and Exterior Steel-Concrete Composite NPS→ Beam-Column Joints”, Engineering Structures, Volume 251, Part B, 113589.
14. 14. E. Bruschi, V. Quaglini, P.M. Calvi (2022). “A simplified design procedure for seismic upgrade of frame structures equipped with hysteretic dampers”, Engineering Structures, Volume 251, Part A, 113504.
15. 15. T.J. Peruchini, J. Stanton, P.M. Calvi (2021). “Longitudinal Joints between Deck Bulb Tee Girders Made with Non-proprietary UHPC”, ASCE Bridge Journal, Volume 26, Issue 12.
16. 16. E. Bruschi, P.M. Calvi, V. Quaglini (2021). “Concentrated plasticity modelling of RC frames in time-history analyses”, Engineering Structures, Volume 243, 15 September 2021, 112716.
17. 17. M. Furinghetti, T. Yang, P.M. Calvi, A. Pavese (2021). “Experimental Evaluation of Extra-Design Displacement Capacity for Curved Surface Slider Devices”, Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, Volume 146, July 2021, 106752.
18. 18. L. Aragaw, P.M. Calvi (2021). “Earthquake-Induced Floor Accelerations in Rocking RC Shear Wall Structures”, Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 25(5), pp. 941–969. DOI: 10.1080/13632469.2018.1548393.
19. 19. S. Timsina, P.M. Calvi (2021). “Variable Friction Base Isolation Systems: Seismic Performance and Preliminary Design”, Journal of Earthquake Engineering, Volume 25, Issue 1, pp. 93–116. DOI: 10.1080/13632469.2018.1504837.
20. 20. T. Yang, S. Bergquist, P.M. Calvi, R. Wiebe (2021). “Improving Seismic Performance Using Adaptive Variable Friction Systems”, Engineering Structures, Vol. 140, January 2021, 106442.

Honors & awards

• The Plan Award 2025, Transport Future Category (Project: Nuova Torre Piloti, Genoa);
• Finalist: IABSE Project and Technology Awards 2025 (Categories: Small Projects and Small Building Structures. Project: Nuova Torre Piloti, Genoa)
• Finalist: Institution of Structural Engineers – Structural Awards 2025 (Project: Nuova Torre Piloti, Genoa)
• Charles Z. Zollman Award, 2021. Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute. (For PCI Journal paper with most “contribution in advancing the state-of-the-art of precast and prestressed concrete.”);
• IABSE 2020 Outstanding Paper Award (Scientific Paper);
• Italian nominee for the 2015 fib Achievement Award for Young Engineers (AAYE);
• Doctoral Completion Award, 2015, University of Toronto ($3,000 CAD);
• International Federation for Structural Concrete
• American Concrete Institute (ACI)
• Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI)
• International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE)
• Italian Society for Civil Engineering

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