Local seismic culture and earthquake-resistant devices: Case study of Casa Baraccata

In the contexts of high seismic activity, such as the Mediterranean area, many local communities have developed strategies for managing such a risk, adapting all available resources for creating earthquake-resistant rules, shaping not just a particular building culture, but a complex local seismic culture: earthquakes become part of the experience of the community and part of the collective identity of the group, that joins together the efforts to achieve the stability of the building environment. The paper investigates on and analyses the contribution of Mediterranean local building culture in the strategies of defence against earthquakes, through their conditions, logic and specific devices. This paper presents those technical building devices, which are strictly connected to the local seismic culture, and describes in detail the techniques that use timber framed structure, coupled with earthen and stone masonry, to absorb loads horizontally.