Savvas Saloustros

News

• 01.03.2024  Webinar on the results of the SGEB Reconnaissance mission following the 2023 Al Haouz earthquake in Morocco. Recording available here 

• 19.01.2024 New paper in Engineering Failure Analysis: Photogrammetry-aided numerical seismic assessment of historical structures composed of adobe, stone and brick masonry. Application to the San Juan Bautista Church built on the Inca temple of Huaytara, Peru. Open access here

• 01.10.2023 I joined the editorial board of the journal of Construction and Building Materials as a Managing Editor.

• 16.09.2023 New paper in Case Studies in Construction Materials: Correlation between sonic pulse velocity and flat-jack tests for the estimation of the elastic properties of unreinforced brick masonry: Case studies from Croatia. Open access here.

• 10.08.2023 New paper in Scientific Data: Geometrical digital twins of the as-built microstructure of three-leaf stone masonry walls with laser scanning. Open Access here

• 27.06.2023 New paper in Engineering structures in collaboration with ETHZ and UPC-BarcelonaTech:  Experimental testing and structural analysis of composite tile – reinforced concrete domes. Open Access here

• We are looking for two PhD candidates to work with us on characterization and modelling of earthen and stone masonry structures! More information here

• 01.08.2022 Awarded an SNSF Ambizione grant for the project Earthen Structures 4.0. Open PhD positions to be announced soon!

• 28.11.2022 New paper in Applied Sciences: Seismic Retrofit of Existing Structures Based on Digital Surveying, Non-Destructive Testing and Nonlinear Structural Analysis: The Case of Gjirokastra Castle in Albania. Available as Open Access here

• 03.11.2022 New paper in Automation in Construction "Image-based geometric digital twinning for stone masonry elements". Available as Open Access here

• 16.10.2022 I will be presenting  mechanical characterisation and structural analysis tools for historical structures at the 6th National Conference of Restoration in Thessaloniki, Greece

• 14.09.2022 Sara Dimovska is presenting our work on the seismic performance of hybrid steel-masonry buildings at REHABEND 2022

• 08.09.2022 I will be presenting the results of the 1st year of the MSCA-IF project CRACK-IT at the 3ECESS conference at Bucharest, Romania

• 12.08.2022 New paper in International Journal of Architectural Heritage "Historical development and seismic performance of unreinforced masonry buildings with upward extensions in the city centre of Barcelona". Access here

• 19.11.2022 Just published! "Modelling of in-plane seismic behaviour of one-way steel or timber jack arch floors in existing buildings. Application to the Eixample district of Barcelona" in Engineering Structures. Access here

• 11.11.2021 New  paper in Construction and Building Materials "Experimental setup and numerical evaluation of the compression test on thin tiles for masonry timbrel vaults". Access here

• 14.09.2021 New paper in Journal of Building Engineering "Seismic vulnerability index method for hybrid timber–masonry structures. Numerical calibration and application to the city of Valparaíso, Chile". Check it out here

• 07.09.2021 Invited lecture at the INTERSPECIES Summer School 2021 on the Design of Interventions in Cultural Heritage Structures

• 16.06.2021 Invited lecture at IIT Bhubaneswar presenting past and undergoing research and practice on the structural analysis of existing structures!

• 01.02.2021 Launch of a Special Issue on Damage Detection, Quantification and Modelling in Masonry Structures at CivilEng. More information here

• 29.03.2021 New paper in Construction and Building Materials "Experimental and numerical insights on the diagonal compression test for the shear characterisation of masonry". Access here!

• 01.02.2021 I joined EESD laboratory at EPFL for my MSCA-Individual Fellowship: CRACK-IT!

• 10.01.2021 New paper in Computational Mechanics "Accurate and locking-free analysis of beams, plates and shells using solid elements". See more here!

Short bio

I am a scientist at  EESD laboratory of EPFL under an SNSF Ambizione grant and lecturer at EPFL-ENAC. Previously, I was an MSCA-IF postdoc at EESD, focusing on the large-scale testing and digital twinning of irregular stone masonry structures.

I earned my PhD in Construction Engineering from the Barcelona School of Civil Engineering. Following this, I continued my research at the same institution, concentrating on the structural analysis of ancient and heritage structures at the Historical & Masonry Structures team of the ATEM research group. 

My research primarily focuses on understanding and predicting the mechanical behavior of structures made from sustainable low-cost materials such as, stone, brick and soil. To achieve this, I engage in both experimental testing and numerical modelling, spanning from the material to the building scales.

As a strong advocate for transfering knowledge from academia to professional practice, I am a co-founder and asociate of FENEC, an association dedicated to promoting the use of non-destructive testing and specialized structural analysis for built heritage structures.

Research Interests

• Sustainable construction materials and techniques

• Digital twins of engineering structures

• Non-Destructive and Minor-Destructive Testing techniques for the mechanical and structural characterization of existing structures

• Structural analysis and conservation of existing structures

• Estimation of the vulnerability and risk mitigation of urban centers against natural hazards

• Seismic vulnerability of historical masonry structures

• Strain localization approaches and constitutive modelling for quasi-brittle materials