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Construction is a fundamental driver of the world economy, recognized as a sector that generates a great contribution to the social and economic development. At the same time, it shows an enormous environmental impact through an unstoppable consumption of non-renewable resources, a high energy consumption, and an associated atmospheric emission of pollutant. Consequently, the research and development of novel and green production processes and sustainable building materials is of paramount importance. The sustainability of materials and production processes could be improved by enhancing and reusing wastes from various industrial sectors. In this paper, the fishery sector will be analysed, considering its derived wastes as secondary raw materials with interesting drawbacks into the construction sector. The fish sector, in the broadest sense (breeding, production, manufacturing, catering, etc.), generates a large number of wastes that could generate a significant environmental impact and a rather high disposal costs, both in economic and environmental terms. This paper will analyse the most traded shellfish market, focusing on mussels, clams, and oysters, examining their production processes and estimating the possible amount of available waste. Finally, on the basis of scientific literature and commercial info graphics, the construction products currently available on the market and under development will be discussed.

The Madonie district, one of the 72 pilot areas of the National Strategy for Inner Areas in Italy in the center of Sicily, is composed by 21 municipalities that really have a great potential, due to their historical background and natural landscape, but it needs new strategies to emerge. Many people from northern cities have returned to their home villages in recent years, to live and work, but they have not found some important and necessary services as there are in smart cities, and to date, these villages do not adopt smart strategies. Many changes need to be made, one solution is to transform them into smart villages through rehabilitation, such as improving the historic center with street art and digital technology freely available and accessible to today's villagers to connect present and past, tradition and innovation and bring new forms of tourism. These small towns preserve our country's cultural heritage, and these goals can help to enhance the cultural heritage and achieve a better life and future by reclaiming these areas and revitalizing them. The new National and European funds have given more opportunities to these municipalities, and many of them will participate in this program in order to have more chances for their development. Involving governments, global businesses, companies, startups, stakeholders, universities, academics under dynamic operational capabilities and citizens is a way to achieve synergy, sharing knowledge and capabilities for the common good: a program that must integrate tradition and innovation, for example, art and technology. The goal of this research is to explore an innovative regeneration strategy, models and interventions for these inner rural areas that can be scalable to more rural places with the same characteristics, but also to connect them to the global ecosystem through, first of all, art and then also smart rehabilitation that combines memory, tradition, innovation and digitization.

This paper provides a comparative overview of different types of (temporary) shelters that have recently been used in various field locations in response to a forced displacement due to disastrous events. In particular, possible strategies useful to increase the sustainability of the humanitarian response and reduce the carbon footprint, while ensuring the adequacy and suitability of the shelters themselves, are here explored. This study investigates a systematic design framework that is often constrained by many obstacles such as the limited availability of low-cost materials, and a lack of local labour experience. To reduce the negative impact of a disaster, especially in the developing countries, the possibility of exploiting alternative materials, such as the regenerated, recycled, reused, and semi-finished materials, is extremely important. Some examples of emergency shelters are deeply discussed in terms of technological and architectural features; among those the Italian case of the tent-cities and the design projects of the Architect Shigeru Ban. Moreover, the choice of the used materials for the shelters’ construction will be deeply analysed as an essential element particularly sensible to certification and characterised by suitable properties in order to offer the maximum performance. The large number of disasters that have occurred in the recent years, deeply showed that despite the best intentions to coordinate and manage the operations, the executive reality is often quite chaotic and full of conflicting interests that hinder the relief efforts. Indeed, providing shelter implies temporary settlements that, on the other hand, gradually become almost permanent. Therefore, the need for socially sustainable solutions - based on green and sustainable design adapted to local conditions - must become a prerequisite. For the next designs it will be necessary to translate architectural solutions, whether for temporary emergency or reconstruction phases, into quality choices, with innovative materials that look to tradition but provide also the minimum comfort for communities.

This study proposes the reuse of spent coffee ground and biomass fly ash in the development of green geopolymeric thermo-plastering for innovative building applications. The former waste is the major residue of the brewing process, that is usually used as fertilisers or disposed of in landfill with extreme harmfulness for the natural environment. The latter is an industrial waste generated during the Kraft paper-pulp process, that is usually landfilled. The mortar is produced with a combination of metakaolin (30 wt.%) and biomass fly ash (70 wt.%), and natural siliceous sand filled with spent coffee ground (up to 17.5 wt.%). The high amount of reused waste makes the material an optimum candidate for the Environmental Minimum Criteria (CAM) assessment as ruled by the National Action Plan on Green Public Procurement. The overall manufacturing process occurred at ambient conditions (20 °C, 65% RH) contributing to the materials sustainability. 28-days cured specimens were analysed to assess the material engineering properties and delineate the possible applications in construction. Finally, virtual energy simulations were implemented to study the possible energetic performance benefits in a simplified building model. The major results are that the used wastes considerably improve the technological material performance making it suitable for effective use in construction. While the slurry workability is significantly affected by the waste introduction, and the mechanical resistance is still high, the thermal conductivity outlines a possible energy application. All considering, coffee waste can be effectively reused to manufacture green bio-composite materials with satisfactory performance considering the main requirements of a building making them exploitable in various applications in construction, especially in energy-saving functions, in line with the European directives towards zero-energy building.

The paper is aimed at reviewing the state of the art of the European technical normative implementation during the last decades concerning the building energy efficiency. Indeed, it is well acknowledged that the present building stock is largely obsolete and inefficient: in the European context alone, around 75% of the buildings is not energy efficient and most are expected to be in use until 2050. Consequently, buildings require not only a general rehabilitation, to extend, or even avoid, its end-of-life time, but also a complete afterthought of their energy performance. That is extremely urgent to improve the overall sustainability of the construction sector that, alone, is one of the main energy consumers. Improving the building energy efficiency means decreasing the overall energy requirement that, in turn, will generate less pollution connected to electrical production, thus a more sustainable society in line with the European Green Deal and the Agenda 2030. Award-winning Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No Contaminant::7.3 - Per a 2030, duplicar la taxa mundial de millora de l’eficiència energètica Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No Contaminant Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles::11.b - Per a 2020, augmentar substancialment el nombre de ciutats i assentaments humans que adopten i posen en marxa polítiques i plans integrats per promoure la inclusió, l’ús eficient dels recursos, la mitigació del canvi climàtic i l’adaptació a aquest, així com la resiliència davant dels desastres, i desenvolupar i posar en pràctica una gestió integral dels riscos de desastre a tots els nivells, d’acord amb el Marc de Sendai per a la reducció del risc de desastres 2015.2030

The Mediterranean area is a highly interesting place where various States, characterised by different people, histories, and cultures face. Reigns, religions, powers, state structures, people, nationalities, etc., everything seems to be extremely different and far. On the contrary, there are some cultural points that are much closer than they officially appear. Indeed, historically, the commercial trades between the various countries have always been highly intense and the Christian and Muslim reigns, even if in a continuous state of conflict, were reciprocally linked by deep (financial) interests. Therefore, that translated in a wide trade of goods that moved on the Mediterranean Sea across the different countries, regardless of culture and religion, resulting - as a consequence - in a contemporary continuous exchange of ideas, materials and technologies. In the architectural and engineering fields it is not infrequent detecting some common characters such as the use of building and construction materials (even if strongly linked to the local availability) and, most of all, the exploitation of common construction technologies and devices. For instance, it is counterintuitive as similar climatic conditions, environments and human needs resulted in similar architectural technologies. In the huge architectural panorama of the Mediterranean area, a very interesting common feature is the joint exploitation of local resources, with particular attention to stone and water, to protect people from the hot climate and make living more comfortable. Indeed, even if considering the local specificities, it is possible to spot some common technologies using this powerful duo. In line with these observations, this work investigates the exploitation of passive cooling systems in the Mediterranean architectural heritage examining the most common physical principles and examples. Ultimately, the knowledge of these architectural machines and their operating principles is nowadays particularly important to re-discover the traditional passive systems used to cool buildings down. Their preservation and re- usage also represent a useful way to understand a simple passive cooling system whose principles could be reproduced in a contemporary way in modern buildings intended for a valid and functional energetic control.

Bio-based architecture (usually known as green architecture) is a new way of thinking, designing, and building according to innovative ethical, economic and social criteria, aimed at creating a partnership between innovation and low environmental impact. In fact, bio-architectural constructions contemplate the use of advanced materials, often of organic nature, and renewable energy resources. In this sense, it could be interpreted as a new architectural movement that tends to employ new materials essentially derived from natural elements: stone, such as lime, agricultural wastes, such as potato peel, straw, hemp, farming wastes, such as wool, etc.. Wide use is also given to the reuse of industrial bio-wastes such as those derived from the paper-pulp, clothing and food industries, whose biomass waste is increasingly being studied and researched for the manufacture of novel green materials, intended for low environmental impact buildings. Finally, solar, geothermal, and wind energy, together with various related devices, are becoming the new frontiers of energy supply for an increasingly efficient and sustainable architecture. The main approach behind a green building is that the whole construction life cycle must be eco-sustainable and environmentally friendly from the beginning to the end of the building process: beyond the use of ecosustainable and highly performing structural materials, new technologies able of reduce the environmental impact of buildings must be used. Therefore, specially renewed standard methods are adopted and new materials are also tested and used. Needless to say, there is a need for a series of specific skills and technical knowledge to operate in this sector. In addition, it is fundamental for technicians and designers being always updated on the main innovations in the field of sustainable construction, as well as having a good knowledge and awareness of the environmental constraints of the territory in which a building is planned. Furthermore, a careful choice of materials must be done based on their use, taking also into consideration the final destination of the structure to ensure the maximum comfort as possible on a visual, acoustic and thermal level, and in a healthy and safe environment. This work will present the most popular eco-sustainable biomaterials, considering the most popular commercial trends and the most advanced scientific research. In addition, some preliminary results will be shown on the manufacture of materials and products intended for architecture and design exclusively made using local (Sicilian) waste biomasses, such as straw and mussel shells, bonded by compounds of purely natural origin.

This paper investigates the typology of the Portuguese public wash-houses that represents a very important sanitary aid and a space of social aggregation. More particularly, the most common features of such a typology will be outlined: architectural configuration, materials and technology, constructive characteristics, hydraulic equipment, historical evolution. These simple but highly functional little buildings are spread across the whole country and had been extremely important for the population since the middle age. In the last two centuries, new wash-houses were built, also following the scientific advances and the novel health requirements that spread in Europe between the XIX and XX centuries. Some European cases will be introduced for comparative reasons. With time, they were enlarged, rebuilt, restored, and many new were built. Finally, the wash-houses of the area of Aveiro will be discussed in deep. There, as commonly happens in other locations in Portugal, these buildings are still used by the old people to wash their clothes. The study of such an architectural typology will be extremely interesting for all the scholars - historian of construction, technologist, restorer, and urban planner - approaching the vast theme of sanitary construction where materials and technologies are strictly related to human health, sanitary requirements, innovation in medical science. Nowadays, public wash-houses represent an image of the past that must be preserved with all the possible attention and care to avoid incongruous works on a so “simple” and “intuitive” building that joins together architecture, engineering, and medical science.

From the XIX century, the new studies and discoveries in medicine, biology, and infectious diseases produced a great impact not only in people life, but also in construction. The “hygienist” engineer, as a new professional figure, spread out with the aim of designing “health” buildings according to the novel hygienic standards, typologies and functions, materials and technologies. Among the various typologies, the public wash-houses played an important role in guarantying the personal and public hygiene and preventing the diffusion of epidemics throughout the urban environment. This paper analyses the public wash-houses that, despite their architectural simplicity, played an extremely important role especially in the working-class neighbourhood and suburban areas. Indeed, such a constructions were subjected to simple but effective constructive and architectural principles. Among those simplicity, cleanliness, aeration, low cost, and – most of all – gratuitousness to all the people. At the same time, they must assure a sort of urban decor without denying – as shown by many successful examples - their refined appearance. More precisely, wash-houses were considered the first aid – along with the public baths – to guarantee the public health and prevent the spread of infectious germs. People used to live in very humid and unhealthy houses where serious influences could be easily taken. In that scenario, the simple act of washing could dangerously increase the possibility of becoming ill. This paper investigates the constructive and architectural features of such a fascinating typology, especially in view to the health requirements of the time. The area of the city of Aveiro in Portugal will be discussed as the wash-houses were still used till the 1980s due to a diffuse and general poverty of the State/people. Building design, structure, “modern” washing techniques, construction materials and finishing (e.g. washable paving, majolica wall or waterproof plasters), will be presented. The study of such an architectural typology will be extremely interesting for all the scholars - historian of construction, technologist and restorer - approaching the vast theme of sanitary construction and its related materials and technologies. Nowadays, public wash-houses represent an image of the past that must be preserved with all the possible attention and care to avoid incongruous works on a so “simple” and “intuitive” building that joins together architecture, engineering, plant design, and medical science. Furthermore, to date almost anything scientific nor technical has been published in literature but some images, mostly in historic photo-album, that witness the vast spread of wash-houses through the city.

Pantelleria, a volcanic island between Tunisia and Sicily, is characterized by a highly windy territory constantly hit by the sun. This harsh environment forced the inhabitants to build in an extremely effective way against the natural elements. This paper investigates constructive technologies, local materials, and phases of construction of the traditional rural houses, the dammuso, a Sicilian word meaning “vaulted-building”. It is a traditional passive cooling building characterized by a cubical shape covered by a vaulted-roof. This typology can be found almost everywhere in the isle, both old and pretty new, as the only one permitted. The minimum configuration unit is a cube made of bearing walls and an extrados-shaped vault; a more articulate disposition is realized juxtaposing three-dimensional cells. The different types of stones generate various typologies of masonry; the stone vault - finished by a white lime mortar making an inner comfortable micro-climate – is traditionally constructed by means of a wooden centering light structure; systems of rainwater disposal and internal/external finishing are also investigated. Ultimately, the dammuso, as a typical Mediterranean typology of vernacular house, is particularly interesting as it represents a simple passive cooling system whose principles are still reproduced in a contemporary way in modern buildings intended for a valid and functional energetic control along with making a perfect harmony between natural and built environment.

Valorisation and reuse of industrial wastes has become a worldwide compelling topic to improve the sustainability of processes and materials. This paper discusses an alternative way to recycle the biomass fly ash, generated by the kraft pulp industry, to manufacture novel geopolymeric mortars intended for applications in construction. Biomass fly ash was used as a raw material, in partial substitution of the commonly used metakaolin, natural siliceous sand as aggregate. The followed manufacture process is highly simple and reproducible. Various proportions binder to aggregate were tested to study the effect on the final mortars properties. The mortars mechanical resistance was also studied in relation to the temperature and duration of curing in order to define the best condition to gain the maximum mechanical resistance. Also submersed curing was tested. Moreover, the mechanical performance was investigated under the effect of natural ageing. The investigations indicate that the novel mortars can be used as structural material in construction and represent an efficient solution to reduce the environmental footprint associated with waste disposal in light of the circular economy.

Valorisation and reuse of industrial wastes has become a worldwide compelling topic to improve the sustainability of processes and materials. This paper discusses an alternative way to recycle the biomass fly ash, generated by the kraft pulp industry, to manufacture novel geopolymeric mortars intended for applications in construction. Biomass fly ash was used as a raw material, in partial substitution of the commonly used metakaolin, natural siliceous sand as aggregate. The followed manufacture process is highly simple and reproducible. Various proportions binder to aggregate were tested to study the effect on the final mortars properties. The mortars mechanical resistance was also studied in relation to the temperature and duration of curing in order to define the best condition to gain the maximum mechanical resistance. Also submersed curing was tested. Moreover, the mechanical performance was investigated under the effect of natural ageing. The investigations indicate that the novel mortars can be used as structural material in construction and represent an efficient solution to reduce the environmental footprint associated with waste disposal in light of the circular economy.

Si può generalmente affermare che l’industria delle costruzioni costituisca un settore capace di attivare grandi attività economiche e di spe- rimentazione, anche se spesso esso utilizzi componenti e sistemi abbastanza obsoleti, se paragonati ad altri settori industriali quali, ad esempio, quello bellico o farmaceutico. La ricerca e lo sviluppo di materiali innovativi costituiscono una priorità delle agende scientifiche di parecchie Nazioni, con investimenti - sia nel pubblico che nel privato - di diversi milioni di dollari l’anno. La scelta tra i nuovi materiali avanzati è sempre più vasta ed articolata, con una capillare attenzione rivolta sia alle prime fasi della progetta- zione che alle battute finali della realizzazione; questi criteri si riflettono non solo sul design di singoli componenti edilizi o di edifici, ma anche sull’intero ambiente costruito. Questo volume vuole rappresentare una occasione di riflessione su come questa nuova realtà, fortemente interdisciplinare, stia cambiando la pratica costruttiva attraverso l’uso di materiali compositi, nanostrutturati, multifunzionali ed intelligenti, allargando l’orizzonte della trat- tazione dall’ambito strutturale alle finiture, dalla nuova costruzione al retrofit ed al restauro, dai sistemi energetici alla sensoristica, dimo- strando, al contempo, il tentativo della ricerca e della progettazione di ottimizzare processi e sistemi di produzione, gestione e riuso. Attraverso l’analisi delle così dette architetture nano, intelligenti, scultoree, biomimetiche e molecolari, intese quali nuove “modalità di pro- gettazione” del XXI secolo, spesso mere esercitazioni accademiche, si percepisce, tuttavia, il forte interesse non solo di studiosi e teorici della progettazione e della tecnologia architettonica ma anche di professionisti ed istituzioni per un tema estremamente stimolante e con forti ricadute ed applicazioni concrete e sostenibili. In generale, si può affermare che la richiesta di nuove forme architettoniche, sempre più audaci e fantasiose, spinge la ricerca a sviluppare nuovi materiali multifunzionali. Viceversa, l’immissione sul mercato di nuovi prodotti permette la progettazione e la realizzazione di edifici caratterizzati da forme e dimensioni fino a ieri, spesso, impensabili. Attraverso una collazione di progetti ed articoli scientifici, divulgazioni, curiosità, approfondimenti e brevetti, si indaga e documenta quanto la ricerca scientifica e tecnologica stia oggi facilitando lo sviluppo e la concreta immissione di queste nuove tecnologie sul mercato, rendendole di fatto accessibili, seguendo un filo conduttore che tiene conto dei diversi materiali da costruzione e le possibili applicazioni, anche attraverso brevi cenni storici che segnano il passo della ricerca e dell’evoluzione della tecnica. In questa prospettiva, un ruolo prioritario è svolto dalla nanotecnologia, una disciplina che ha permesso di superare le scienze classiche, ap- profondendo la conoscenza della materia, innovandone le modalità di studio e permettendo lo sviluppo di prodotti dalle caratteristiche diverse da quelli tradizionali e con concreti risvolti applicativi. Scopo di questa trattazione, che non vuole essere esaustiva poiché questo ambito di ricerca è in continuo divenire ed infinitamente vasto, è quello offrire una quanto più ampia panoramica non solo agli operatori del settore ma anche a tutti quegli studiosi di ambiti scientifico-di- sciplinari distanti dal mondo delle costruzioni per stimolare studi interdisciplinari e multi scalari in un ambito in forte espansione tecnologica ed economica.

The Sicilian land tenure was always characterized by the presence of latifundium. Such a land exploitation intimately influenced not only the farming techniques but also the population identity and farms’ typology. The Sicilian (and south-Italian) common typological form of rural estate is the masseria. More particularly, it is a large fortified farm built to control and manage a vast land-property, the old fiefdoms. This work focuses on the cultural and economic background, taking motion from the ancient feudality, that led to the construction and development of the masserie in Sicily. The typological characters, that deeply reflect the rural location and society, will be discussed: typologies, architectural configuration, constructive technologies and traditional materials. Finally, we will analyze how those traditional constructions may be re-functionalized and re-used.

This paper investigates the stone masonry with timber reinforcement through the European traditional and historical architecture. It is a remarkable practice consisting of combining different materials to build up a masonry. This technology shows a wide variety of typological, formal, and technological types of buildings across Europe as it is strongly influenced by the nature and availability of local materials, the cultural aspects of the various communities, and the soils geological nature. As a consequence, the same constructive typology is based on different premises and leads to many interesting results. In this paper the various uses of such a mixed stone-timber masonry are shown in relation to the above mentioned factors. One of the most interesting aspect is the use of such a mix stone-timber as an anti-seismic device, especially in the Southern and Mediterranean countries, giving evidence to a great sensibility of the ancient builders to very specific topics. It is also important to stress that this traditional technology is also highly contemporary being exploited in many countries, especially in the far northern ones. Furthermore, novel regulations have been issued in order to regulate such a discipline, especially the use of timber for large structure and infrastructure. Finally, as a very common constructive technology, many historical buildings present such a mixed structural configuration, independently from the generating factors. In such a perspective, this study aims to describe the most common constructive features, as well as develop guidelines for preservation, whereas the typology is present, or design criteria for consolidation and structural improvement, whereas necessary.

During the Gothic times, between the XIV and the XV centuries, depending on the location, many interesting developments occurred. Such an architectural movement moved towards completely new directions and ideas if compared to the previous centuries’ construction. First of all the concept of the space, inner or external, that became highly polycentric and driven to the highness and to a certain dematerialization of the solids. Such a novel vision was often related to the new religious fervour of that time. Some examples are the reduction of the masonry’s sections, a massive usage of large coloured glazing, and the creation of light groined vaults. On the exterior, all of that corresponded to a complex grid of structural elements able to uniformly transmit the loads but, creating, at the same time, a real architectural work of art. Indeed, the Gothic construction was characterized by a limited knowledge of the science of materials, mechanics and statics, and exploited just few and empirical elementary methods of calculation of materials resistance and geometry. From the other hand, this period showed an extraordinary courage, despite the number of the building collapses and failures occurred. Basing on the experience of the previous centuries, and by means of choosing the best technical constructive solution and appropriate materials, this new “style” became highly common and, simultaneously, it adapted and fit to the intellectual capacity, and to the material and financial resources, of the various geographical contexts and customers. More particularly, the most innovative areas were Germany, England, Bohemia, and Poland, as well as the Iberian peninsula where some interesting buildings flourished. This paper analyses the various phases of a typical Gothic construction site, along with its organization and management, enumerating the technological issues related to the novel ideas of architecture along with the adopted solutions. It will also analyse the various professional figures that contributed to the erection of a construction: from the architects to the hard workforce, to the most refined artists. A strict hierarchy whose practical experience lead to different skills and organizational management. Also the drawing up and the realization of novel machines and equipment were a big deal, happily overcome thanks to a very wise craftsmanship. Outlining such a historical developments is extremely useful not only for the historical memory of the construction but also to recall a series of operational and technical acts that can be easily found during the restoration of an ancient building. Indeed, investigating historical technologies and materials is highly useful, if not compulsory, to preserve at best a historical artefact, whatever it is a building or an object.

Developments of technology and advances in materials science and engineering are leading to a new generation of products that may represent a competitive route to achieve a real sustainable growth in construction. Currently many nano-based products are available on the global market: smart-materials, nano- composite materials, nano-devices, etc.. Further nanotechnologies enable new developments: materials and products are fast emerging or exist in bulky and expensive forms in other industrial sectors. Anyway, a great deal of research, directly focused in construction’s applications, should be done. This paper is aimed to discuss such an increasing trend and analyses the global market. A general survey on official financial data is performed from many governmental sources in order to enumerate the effective R&D efforts undertaken worldwide. All of those show how nanotechnologies are not just a matter of fashion. Indeed, such a novel materials, technologies and devices are truly applicable in construction and represent also a real natural solution to the number of problems that have afflicted this industrial sector for decades. In this review, many examples of successful applications are reported along with the most popular lines of research. Finally, the acquisition of the knowledge on nanotechnology’s applications in construction allows to formulate a judgment on the real applicability and convenience on such a novel technologies’ usage in comparison to the traditional systems and materials, well established and consolidated in the practice.

PREMESSA. Non crediamo sia necessario soffermarsi sul fondamentale ruolo della manualistica come base conoscitiva e tecnica nel progetto di recupero. Ma chi analizza l’architettura storica di aree ristrette, connotate il più delle volte da specificità e tipicità, sa bene che la “regola dell’arte universale” è una contraddizione in termini, e che nell’architettura dei nostri centri urbani pluristratificati necessitano la valorizzazione e la tutela della varietà e della differenza, della dimensione locale come alternativa ad una condizione periferica. Ciò comporta la necessità di acquisire, attraverso l’approfondimento delle tipologie di base e delle caratteristiche dei materiali, sia morfologiche che tecnologiche, un quadro conoscitivo e di riferimento finalizzato a guidare gli interventi di recupero e di riqualificazione del tessuto edilizio nel rispetto delle conoscenze tecniche e del codice di pratica derivanti da una antica tradizione. L’obiettivo è la qualità dell’intervento, intesa come rispetto di quella cultura del costruire che ha prodotto il manufatto, i suoi rapporti con l’ambiente ed in definitiva contribuisce all’identità della città. La storia recente ci insegna come il fatto stesso di riconoscere i valori del costruito storico sia una precondizione per trasmetterli senza comprometterli; solo in questi casi sono utili gli studi e le analisi sulle architetture della tradizione locale che, al contrario, diventano inutili orpelli quando si lasciano prevalere l’indifferenza o l’invenzione creativa, con un’irrimediabile compromissione dell’ambiente in cui l’intervento si colloca. Lo studio è indirizzato alla conoscenza dei caratteri della costruzione storica nella città di Modica, dai materiali alle tecniche costruttive di maggiore rilevanza, con particolare attenzione alle caratteristiche dei singoli elementi tecnici, alla loro funzione all’interno della fabbrica e all’originalità delle soluzioni più comunemente adottate. L’analisi è funzionale ad una maggiore comprensione del costruito, anche in relazione alla proposizione di metodologie per il consolidamento, la salvaguardia, il restauro e la conservazione del patrimonio edilizio. Come avviene in altri ambiti, la limitata conoscenza e la scarsa attenzione alla logica costruttivo-strutturale, che caratterizza il costruito storico di ogni città, conducono a soluzioni standardizzate che rischiano di risultare incongrue rispetto al dato concreto, se non addirittura dannose. Il centro storico di Modica è il risultato di una serie di processi di ricostruzione, modifiche e riassetti successivi al sisma distruttivo del 1693, intervenuti su un tessuto medievale con una sua chiara identità. Se a seguito della calamità alcuni centri della Sicilia sud-orientale (pochi in realtà) vennero trasferiti in altri siti ed altri si riassestarono su aree pianeggianti appena più a valle o sugli altopiani prossimi ai nuclei urbani distrutti, a Modica, così come a Siracusa ed Augusta, si ricostruì nello stesso sito, rammendando e ricomponendo dove possibile e ricostruendo ex novo dove ciò non era fattibile. La testimonianza di tutto ciò può essere individuata, dall’osservatore più attento, nelle discontinuità delle trame murarie, nelle anomalie delle geometrie e dei volumi degli edifici ed in alcune complesse fronti-palinsesto nelle quali si è giustapposta una nuova architettura. In altri casi queste sono riprogettate collocando nuove parti ed elementi di recupero. I maggiori elementi di novità furono limitati ad ampi tagli e aperture nel tessuto urbano e nella realizzazione di vistose scalinate che inquadravano scenograficamente le nuove chiese monumentali, come S. Giorgio e S. Pietro a Modica. Modica mantiene quindi in massima parte un impianto medievale imposto dalle preesistenze sopravvissute al sisma ed un linguaggio architettonico, in particolare negli edifici di minore rilevanza, che è proprio delle costruzioni tardo seicentesche. In queste l’influenza spagnola nell’opera di ricostruzione, diretta da Giuseppe Lanza duca di Camastra, Vicario generale per il Val di Noto, e successivamente dall’ingegnere militare del Re di Spagna Carlos Grunemberg, contribuirà al rinnovamento urbano della Sicilia e l’influenzerà l’opera delle maestranze e degli architetti siciliani di provenienza soprattutto ecclesiastica, vicini sia al Barocco romano che alla consolidata tradizione costruttiva siciliana. La ricostruzione, che contribuì pertanto al rinnovamento, se non nell’impianto urbano, alla veste degli edifici più importanti, interessò in maniera meno rilevante l’edilizia di base che continuò ad essere informata a modi e tecniche della tradizione consolidata.

Sicily has historically experienced a massive colonial occupation due to its strategic position among the Mediterranean Sea. Still today, its tactical importance is under everybody’s eyes with at least 15 NATO’s headquarters. Thus, it’s easily understandable how defending such a large territory was particularly important which, in turn, meant guarding and protecting more than 1600 km of coasts, leading to a possible supremacy on the trading routes through the Mediterranean area. This work will analyse the Sicilian coastal towers, a real typology that exploited traditional construction technologies and local materials integrated by instances of military engineering, in a continuous relationship between international theories and local practice. The Sicilian defensive coastal system is made of tens of towers arranged to create a closed circuit able to spot and communicate, in a very fast way, the presence of possible enemies approaching the territory from the sea. The first towers were built during the early-XIV century and their construction was intensified due to the North African corsairs’ raids and later, between the XVI-XVII centuries, for the fights for supremacy among the Ottoman and the Spanish Empires, to continue during the XIX century with the revolution of the military technics and the risk of Napoleonic troops invasion. During centuries, many military engineers worked to improve the islander defensive system: towers perfectly reflect the evolution of the military technologies (i.e. transition to fire gun) helped by the development of studies and the spread of dedicated treatises and manuals. Defensive towers were built in a solid way, respecting some precise principles in order to make them robust to attacks, self-sufficient to host a permanent guard, dominant to have the best view. Furthermore, they were perfectly integrated in the surrounding environment and generally located in particularly scenic positions. Nowadays 218 towers still survive and no one is used for military purposes. Many are in a terrible state of ruin, some were incorporated in other structures, some were fully restored and are well preserved. Preservation of coastal towers is fundamental for the cultural identity of Sicily along with representing an important landmark strongly linked with the history of supremacy over the Mediterranean Area in an international panorama where the evolution of military disciplines strongly influenced the local constructive technologies and building typologies. Finally, their reuse may be strategically important for a compatible touristic exploitation.

La ricostruzione postsismica e la prevenzione sismica sono stati da sempre un fondamento costruttivo.Questo studio analizza la tipologia costruttiva della gaiola pombalina, un sitema costruttivo e strutturale molto diffuso in Portogallo ma non solo, adottato a Lisbona a seguito del terremoto del 1755. Si analizzano i materiali e le tecniche costruttive, gli elementi utili al rinforzo e consolidamento della struttura muraria, ampiamente diffuso in area mediterranea a partire dal XVIII secolo.Questo sistema costruttivo può e deve anche oggi essere considerato un utile presidio antisismico da riconoscere e preservare da interventi incolti, se non addirittura da incongrue demolizioni. Post-seismic reconstruction and seismic prevention have always been a major concern worldwide. This work analyses the Pombaline gaiola (meaning cage), a structural system of masonry reinforcement used in the reconstruction of Lisbon following the earthquake of 1755. A gaiola consists in the insertion of a three-dimensional timber frame embedded in stone masonry in order to bind together the various structural parts, and contribute to the overall seismic resistance. Timber framed reinforcement is an old anti-seismic device that may be globally observed in the history of the constructive technology. From the Roman times, this system spread in the Mediterranean area during the XVIII century but a large quantity of examples can be observed almost worldwide. The Pombaline gaiola is analysed from an architectural, constructive, and structural point of view to show how that traditional system made a robust (re)construction possible. Beyond the suboptimal rules of the art and tacit historical instances, and by means of philological criterion and detailed analysis of seismic improvement, contemporary preservation works should ensure the structural safety of the historical construction. In such a perspective, this study examines aspects of diffused timber frameworks with masonry infill that go beyond the anti-seismic technology and develops guidelines for preservation.

Object of this work is the construction industry that, until the industrial revolution, has always been a major human activity and nowadays still represents a massive sector of production. Nevertheless, it often deals with coarse components and systems as, in the last century, investments in research remained lower than in other industrial sectors as army, medicine, etc.. Only recently, with the development of technology and the advances in materials science and engineering, a new generation of products, that are both of higher performance and more economically viable, is to be realizing as a competitive route to achieve a real sustainable growth and innovation. Nowadays, the market show hundreds of novel (nano)products that could be successfully applied to the construction industry. Many other (nano) technologies enable new developments: materials and products are fast emerging or already exist in bulky and expensive forms in other different industrial sectors, but a great deal of research should still be developed. NanoArchitecture is a new concept that is spreading out in architectural and engineering schools along with a new perception of architectural/structural design. Such a term conveys in it the fundamentals of architectural design and constructive requirements with the customer wish and expectation in respect of the real constructive possibilities and the new international regulations. In this work we will analyse some concepts spread out from 1960s as growing architecture, molecular architecture or smart/sculptural buildings to outline the slow and long process that lead to the interconnection between traditional constructive technologies and design criteria with new enhanced and novel materials. Some exempla of futuristic buildings will be provided along with many famous academic studies and exercises proposed to train students, the new generation of technicians and scientists, in an open-minded way of thinking leading to an innovative approach in construction. Furthermore, we will outline the most popular lines of research analysing the possible applications of nanotechnology, nanostructured materials and multifunctional/smart materials in construction. The acquisition of the knowledge on nanotechnology, nanostructured materials and multifunctional/smart materials in construction will allow to formulate a judgment on the real applicability and convenience on high technologies’ usage in comparison to the traditional systems, consolidated by now in the practice.

Questo lavoro discute della produzione di nanomalte innovative eco-composite per intonaco, progettate per combattere l’inquinamento impattante sull’involucro edilizio. I campioni sono costituiti da calce idraulica naturale funzionalizzata da vari tipi di fotocatalizzatori, prodotti a partire da scarti di industrie siderurgiche ed alimentari. Sono state condotte indagini chimico-fisiche ed, in particolare, è stata valutata l’attività fotocatalitica. Le analisi hanno dimostrato che i predetti scarti possono essere utilmente riciclati per produrre una nuova generazione di materiali da costruzione innovativi, sostenibili, economici e multifunzionali.

Palermitan XVIII-century palaces constitute a proper housing typology aimed to reach the highest standards of artistic quality and representativeness. Supported by unlimited financial resources,aristocrats commissioned to famous architects the design and the direction of their construction-sites; nevertheless, technologies were essential and often influenced by an instance of economy with the most effective exploitation of local resources. This work focuses on the constructive specificities of the Palermitan palaces, with reference to the construction history of the Merendino-Costantino Palace, one of the most representative of the historical centre. Its history defines a repertory of constructive cases that marked fundamental steps of construction, in relation to specific events (earthquakes, city ordinances, etc.). Ultimately, this work is aimed to define a repertory for scholars and technician working/ studying in historical construction. Furthermore, such information spread over local applications: frequently, indeed, Palermitan – and Sicilian in general - technical culture can be observed in national and international spheres with particular reference to peninsular Italy, Spain, and France.

di Ambleri per sovrintendere una vasta proprietà agricola. Dal XVI secolo questa struttura rurale iniziò ad essere ingentilita secondo canoni rinascimen- tali per diventare una nobile casena suburbana per la delizia dei suoi proprie- tari che, ieri come oggi, erano soliti intrattenersi «con cavalieri e dame, amici e parenti, [nella] comodissima e faustosa stanza» dello Scirocco. Dalle prime fonti alle ultime modifiche del XX secolo, si analizzano le fasi evolutive del complesso architettonico che rappresenta oggi un caso di buona conservazione dei beni culturali privati a Palermo.