The progress of a study dedicated to industrial reinforced concrete structures built in the 1960s through the 1980s is presented in this paper. A non-conventional retrofit strategy, represented by the incorporation of a dissipative bracing system as protective technology, has been devised at a first step. An alternative solution, which consists in seismically isolating the roof structure and installing dampers at the roof girder-to-column joints — in the girder vertical plan — and at the ends of the longitudinal beams linking the column top sections — in the orthogonal direction — is examined herein. The new retrofit solution is designed for a representative case study, i.e. a single story double hall-type prefab structure built in the late 1980s. A synthesis of the results of the analyses carried out in current conditions is presented, which highlight near-collapse conditions at the maximum considered earthquake level, caused by the potential loss of support of several girders from relevant bearing pads, and unsafe stress states in columns. The response in retrofitted conditions results to be safe and undamaged up to the same seismic action level, thanks to the high damping capacity of the dissipative joints. The structural installation details of the protective system are illustrated, along with technological details of the pipes crossing the isolated roof plan.
