Search

Switzerland boasts a wide production of publications dedicated to its architectural heritage that offer an articulated overview of Swiss architecture from the so-called bourgeois to the rural one. Starting from the monumental study by the philologist Jakob Hunziker (1827-1901) on the Swiss house in its landscape and historical development, two series of books have been written, namely Die Bauernhäuser der Schweiz and Das Bürgerhaus in der Schweiz. The peculiarity of these two series is their method and completeness, the result, among other things, of a careful cultural policy capable of finding and organizing the necessary means. In this context, there are some publications with substantially different approaches to those mentioned above. The fundamental difference lies in the fact that the analyses and descriptions are not limited to the single artefacts but investigate their ways of aggregation, relating the building typology with urban morphology. This is one of the characteristics of La costruzione del territorio nel Canton Ticino by Aldo Rossi, Eraldo Consolascio, and Max Bosshard, published in 1979 by the Fondazione Ticino Nostro. In this publication, there is no solution of continuity between the vernacular buildings and the more “noble” ones, often rather ancient and the result of an extraordinary ability to include and combine elements. The example of La costruzione del territorio was followed by other publications that share its same methods and objectives. Among these, two volumes dated 1983 should be noted; they are dedicated to the villages of Avers and Soglio respectively and both were created by the Department of Architecture of the Technical School of Muttenz. In these publications, renouncing the separation between vernacular buildings and bourgeois houses leads to a more accurate reading of the real size of the settlements, as opposed to the idyllic image of the mountain village consisting exclusively of rural artefacts.

Rhinoplasty is considered the most challenging chapter of plastic surgery due to its variability and the continuing evolution of surgical maneuvers. Worksheets became essential to unequivocally record surgical steps and to demonstrate their reciprocal effects/interactions during the follow-up period. After 1989, no other software was created to upgrade the Gunter Rhinoplasty Diagrams, the forefather and benchmark of the rhinoplasty "virtual" worksheet maker.The authors built a new standard three-dimensional nasal framework model in STL format. All the basic components were modified to simulate the interaction among sutures, grafts, and the most common maneuvers performed during rhinoplasty. The authors created a total of 669 (99 built-in units and 285 unilateral units) three-dimensional figures which can be selected by the surgeon from among 230 options. The interface for the surgeon is Bergamo 3D Rhinoplasty Software.Bergamo 3D Rhinoplasty Software is made up of the database section, which gathers all the patient's personal information and documents, and the surgery section, which groups multiple selection lists in 10 surgical areas. Eighty percent of the options modify the original shape of the three-dimensional model. Several options help the surgeon to tailor the final result and to export it both in desktop software and in a real three-dimensional printed model.Bergamo Rhinoplasty Software revolutionizes the concept of patient and surgical data storage. Furthermore, the immediacy of three dimensions facilitates communication with patients, allows case sharing with colleagues, simplifies teaching, and encourages the surgeon's self-analysis and professional growth. Customization of the original model and of the maneuvers is the main limitation of the software, because of the currently existing technology in 2014.

Although the necessity for renovation of the existing building stock is commonly acknowledged, very low renovation rates are observed in practice. With 1% of the buildings renovated annually, it would take 100 years to upgrade the existing building stock to a more sustainable level. In most countries, incentives have so far not had sufficient impact on the rate and depth of the renovations. A very common obstacle in the decision process for building renovation is the conflict between multiple goals. In an early stage of the decision process, stakeholders have the possibility to block a renovation project without any cost.When stakeholders act individually and the project does not meet their goals perfectly, the easiest solution is to reject it. Alongside owner decision makers and authorities, tenants and tenant associations also have a blocking power. Yet, it is rare to find a renovation project, which fulfills simultaneously and optimally all three pillars of sustainability. Multiple criteria decision making methodologies can help to improve the decision environment and handle the whole space of constraints. It therefore leads the stakeholders to find consensual solutions. In this paper, we show on a case study how existing and newly developed evaluation methods were used to determine a convenient renovation scenario accepted by all the stakeholders. The building is a multi-residential historic building constructed in the early twentieth century. EPIQR+ method was used to evaluate the building deterioration, energy performance of refurbishment scenarios and the renovation costs. PETRA method was used to evaluate thequality of the historic building conservation. It was also used to evaluate the economic impact on tenants and the impact on the value of the building. In order to assess the indoor environment quality and the comfort of use, questionnaires were distributed to the tenants. Finally, so as to provide the stakeholders with a comprehensive comparison between different possible scenarios, a synthesis of the evaluation of all criteria was made with HERMIONE multiple criteria aggregation method. The results of the holistic multiple criteria analysis change the perception of the stakeholders and their attitude towards the renovation of the buildingenvelope.

Relatively small soft-tissue defects of the lower leg following tumor excision are usually treated, especially in older patients, by split-thickness skin grafting. On specific sites where periosteum or paratenon is exposed, as well as when a skin graft is best avoided for cosmetic reasons, an excellent alternative option is the use of posterior tibial artery perforator flaps.Such flaps are designed and elevated "on demand," ie, according to the defect location and on whichever perforator is best found suited to supply the flap and allow adequate transposition.However, operative time is longer, and the surgeon needs to be judicious in dissection, as well as versatile in choosing the best flap design after identifying a suitable perforator.Between 2003 and 2008, 24 patients underwent this procedure, with uniformly successful result except for 2 partial flap necrosis.The advantages of posterior tibial artery perforator flaps are a quick and usually safe procedure, which provides good contour with excellent color, texture, and thickness match, with long-term stability of the reconstruction at the expense of minimal donor-site morbidity.