The adoption of monitoring’s systems on buildings allows to analyze the variations of structural parameters over time allowing the detection of damage. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems have the potential to support pro-active risk management, panning structural interventions when specific thresholds related to known performance losses are achieved.

Detect-aging is a Project of Relevant National Interest (PRIN 2017) promoted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR). The project has started in September 2019 and involves four Italian universities (Bologna, Genova, Napoli, Perugia). The main purpose of the project is to develop a new analytical-instrumental approach aimed at the quantitative assessment of the effects of aging and material degradation on structural safety of cultural heritage, with particular reference to masonry structures. Through the combined use of structural models and health monitoring systems, indications and operative tools will be provided for the identification and quantification of structural damage, for the management of built cultural heritage.

To this purpose a two storey masonry building having a single room with a vault at the first floor and a wooden floor at the roof was built and will be damaged during the project. It is equipped with a hybrid SHM system managed by the University of Perugia, which is based on both vibration and strain measurements. The present paper illustrates the main features of the case study building and presents the results of the experimental campaign aimed at characterizing the mechanical properties of the materials used. Furthermore, it presents a blind prediction contest based on the prediction of the modal features of the building in different damaged configurations.