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Design and construction of reinforced walls in Italy in complex static and seismic conditions

The present paper aims to present the design problems associated with reinforced walls in difficult static and seismic conditions, through the presentation of some of the most challenging projects built in Italy in the last years. The reinforced walls here presented were built in different Italian regions, with widely differentiated topographic, geotechnical and seismic conditions; for both retaining structures and preservation of historical sites. The wall projects are divided in categories, including green faced walls, concrete blocks faced walls, walls for preservation of historical sites, walls with pile bulkheads, calcium stabilized and reinforced soil structures. The paper reports the stability analyses in static and seismic conditions, the design layouts and the construction techniques, showing technical drawings, con-struction details and photos taken during and after construction, thus affording a clear picture of Italian engineering of reinforced soil walls.