Issues

The cover image shows the iconic Prime Tower, a high-rise building in Zürich, Switzerland, against a majestic Alpine scenery. What are the dynamic properties of such a structure, imperative, for instance, for structural health monitoring? How can these dynamic properties be measured effectively using only a minimal footprint? The article by Yara Rossi et al., “A New Paradigm for Structural Characterization, including Rotational Measurements at a Single Site” (this issue), demonstrates that this can be achieved using only two collocated seismic sensors: a three-component translational and a three-component rotational sensor. Using the data from a 6C-station that the authors installed on the Prime Tower (Zürich), they developed and calibrated a method for characterizing the modal properties and structural response of the building.

Image credit: Prisma by Dukas Presseagentur GmbH/Alamy Stock Photo