Abstract:
A monumental tetrastyle canopy (four columns topped by a hollow cap overlaying a statue), built in
1948 at the centre of Kathmandu, Nepal, has suffered full collapse during the April 25, 2015 Mw7.8
earthquake. Two video camera recordings let us recover the most important movements of the
structure. At a distance of 2.9 km from the monument, an accelerometric station (KATNP) recorded
the motion which we used as input of a model structure made with DEM. Geometry and dimensions
of main elements were mostly obtained from satellite images. Concrete and steel in columns were
considered as the common practice at that time. We performed some sensitivity analyses varying
the mechanical properties due to the possibility of aging alterations in concrete and steel and to
incorporate uncertainties on the geometric characteristics. Albeit the response has a significant
variability, results show that it is possible to reproduce well the video images, attesting the
importance of video cameras to capture the dynamic performance of structures, providing insight
into their behaviour and data to support numerical investigations.