45211 - Conservation of Materials in Historical Buildings (A)

Learning outcomes

The purpose of the module is to provide students with the know-how and skills for the drafting of a conservation project, starting from the analysis of construction characteristics and materials all the way through diagnostics, in order to analyse and interpret phenomena of material degradation and static instabilities. At the end of the module students will able to:

- Analyse materials and the state of conservation of a historical building;

- Interpret the causes of degradation and instability;

- Design conservation and restoration projects.

Course contents

The course starts from an objective and undeniable fact: if ‘conserving’ – a verb used nowadays with the meaning of ‘restoring’ – historical buildings is one of the many possible approaches to construction, landscape and the urban environment we inherited from the past, it is equally true that out of the many possibilities the designer has, conserving is the only choice that will give future generations the chance to ‘repeat’ the experiment and resume our work. Drafting a project on an already existing building is therefore for sure a huge responsibility. It is thus mandatory – especially having finally realized that the tragically irresponsible behaviour of previous generations have caused great damage to our built heritage – for a modern designer, aware of his/her role and responsibilities, to have a clear idea of the consequences of his/her own choices, a realization that is unfortunately all too recent for architects and engineers.

 

Course programme

A. The restoration project

• Restoration, conservation, maintenance. The current debate and main methodological proposals.
• Problematic restoration cases: distinctiveness, minimal intervention, reversibility, compatibility, durability.
• The ancient-new relation and the dualism between critical process and creative act.
• Which materials for restoration? The struggle between technical choices and respecting the original features of the building.
• The current use of historical buildings: structural, typological and plant design problems.

B. Historical research, surveys and restoration

• The existing building: the graphic and photographic survey and the main archaeometric methods.
• Bibliographic, archival and iconographic research.
• From philological research to historical interpretation.

C. The traditional building site: materials, techniques, and construction elements

• Stone: tools, manufacturing process, installations, finishes.
• Bricks: production process, equipment and surface treatments.
• Binders and plasters: lime, plaster, and aggregates. Painting and surface finishes.
• Wood: features, uses and installation.
• The use of metals in historical buildings.
• Traditional construction systems: masonry, openings, staircases, vaults, floors, roofs, and floorings.

D. Structures and materials degradation: the causes and the different types of process

• Humidity and its causes: phenomena due to the action of water.
• Physical alterations: frost wedging, thermoclasticism, crystallization, frost vulnerability and erosion.
• Chemical alterations: sulphation and carbonation reactions.
• Other degradation phenomena (biological agents, geological factors, anthropic factors, etc.).
• Major cases of structural collapse.

E. Diagnostics

• Assessing degradation: inspections, sampling, on site and laboratory tests.
• Non-destructive controls: x-rays, ultrasounds, thermography.
• Hygroscopic performance and cracks: reading and representation modes.

F. Restoration of materials, surfaces and construction elements

• Upkeep of stone surfaces: cleaning, reinforcement and protection.
• Treatment of brick walls.
• Dealing with plasterwork and paintings.
• Restoration of wooden elements: disinfestation, reinforcement, integration, and preventive treatments.
• Moisture damage repair.
• The restoration of vertical and horizontal structures: orientation criteria in static interventions.

Readings/Bibliography

The bibliography and contents of the course ‘Theories and History of Restoration” is essential to successfully take part in the workshops exercises.

A synthesis of the evolution of the concept and practice of restoration. General topics:

A. Bellini (a cura di), Tecniche della conservazione, Angeli, Milano 1986.

B. P Torsello, La materia del restauro. Tecniche e teorie analitiche, Marsilio, Venezia 1988.

G. Rocchi, Istituzioni di restauro dei beni architettonici e ambientali, Hoepli, Milano 1990 (II ed.).

G. Carbonara, Trattato di restauro architettonico, voll. I-X, UTET, Torino 1996-2008.

G. Carbonara, Avvicinamento al restauro. Teoria, storia, monumenti, Liguori, Napoli 1997.

P. Fancelli, Il restauro dei monumenti, Nardini, Firenze 1998.

J. Jokilheto, A History of Architectural Conservation, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford 1999.

L. Zevi, Il manuale del restauro architettonico, Mancosu, Roma 2001.

C. Di Biase, Il restauro e i monumenti. Materiali per la storia del restauro, CLUP, Milano 2003.

A. Bellini, G. Carbonara, S. Casiello, R. Cecchi, M. Dezzi bardeschi, P. Fancelli, P. Marconi, G. Spagnesi cimbolli, B. P. Torsello, Cos’è il restauro? Nove studi a confronto, Marsilio, Venezia 2005.

B. P. Torsello, Figure di pietra. L’architettura e il restauro, Marsilio, Venezia 2006.

A. Ferlenga, e. Vassallo, f. Schellino (a cura di), Antico e Nuovo. Architetture e architettura, Atti del Convegno Internazionale (Venezia 31marzo-3 aprile 2004), voll. I-II, Il Poligrafo, Venezia 2007.

F. Doglioni, Nel restauro. Progetti per le architetture del passato, Marsilio, Venezia 2008.

G. Carbonara, Architettura d’oggi e restauro. Un confronto antico-nuovo, UTET, Torino 2013.

S. Casiello (a cura di), La cultura del restauro. Teorie e fondatori, Marsilio, Venezia 2015 (I ed. 1996).

S. Di resta, Le “forme” della conservazione. Intenzioni e prassi dell’architettura contemporanea per il restauro, Gangemi, Roma 2016.

Teaching methods

The course is structured in lectures and workshops. Lectures support the workshop exercises on specific topics. They will deal with the theory and history of restoration, methods and general issues, technical and construction site problems.

The exercises on the site of the building to be restored, or recently restored, offer students the chance to have first-hand knowledge of all the topics dealt with in class.

Assessment methods

In order to access final examination, students will have to hand in their own project, which can be done individually or in groups of maximum 3 students. In case of a group project, each of them will be asked to develop specific topics.

Workshop exercises are conceived to gradually lead students to shift from a discovering phase to a design one, through different stages: historical-critical analysis, survey, materials and construction techniques evaluation, degradation analysis, conservation and restoration draft project also providing information on the building’s 'usefulness'.

The projects, corrected and reviewed by the teacher, will be presented as work progresses, following a calendar announced at the beginning of the workshop. All projects will have to be completed by the date of the exam and they will be an integral part of the final exam itself. The tables, numbered consequently, will comply with the format and quantity suggested by the teacher and must the following: university, faculty, workshop, teacher, academic year, study topic, topic of the single table and authors' full names. A copy of the project – in electronic format, with everything created during the year duly organised – must be handed in compulsory at the final exam for the archives.

Results achieved by students will be assessed both throughout the course and through the final exam. At the exam, students will be asked to discuss topics presented in class as well as their own project, with a special focus on project outcomes.

Teaching tools

In addition to the usual tools architects use, privileged tools will be students’ own senses (sight, feel, smell, hearing) for a progressive approach to materials and historical signs in architecture.

Office hours

See the website of Chiara Mariotti

See the website of Emilio Roberto Agostinelli