Definition of the characteristic masonry house for seismic vulnerability assessment in the Historic Centre of Cuenca, Ecuador = Definición de la vivienda característica de mampostería para evaluación de vulnerabilidad sísmica en el Centro Histórico de Cue

The historic centre of the city of Cuenca is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is located in a zone of high seismic hazard. For these reasons, the Urban Development Plan of Cuenca sets out the need to implement measures for the conservation of buildings. The analysis of the seismic vulnerability of buildings makes it possible to develop effective strategies for the prevention and mitigation of damage and reduction of losses due to earthquakes. Since seismic vulnerability analysis considers the characteristics of a building to quantify damage, it is necessary to determine a model that appropriately reflects the structure of the building under study. The aim of this work is to define a characteristic brick masonry house in the Historic Centre of Cuenca (HCC) and to generalise its architectural features, geometry, structural system and materials. The results of the analysis of field data collected in the HCC comprising 2885 dwellings are presented. Each dwelling was characterised by 5 geometrical and 3 structural parameters. Statistical frequency diagrams were elaborated to define the most representative variable for each parameter. By spatial superimposition in the ArcMap program, the characteristic dwelling was defined as a two-storey masonry house with two transverse and three longitudinal spans and a cantilever on the front façade. The structural system consists of 17 cm thick brick walls, confined by reinforced concrete columns and beams, timber floor structures and a gable roof with ceramic tiles.