Learning objectives
- Knowledge and ability to understand:
At the end of the course, the student must have acquired a broad and critical point of view of methods and techniques for the knowledge of the historical and architectural heritage and its state of conservation, as well as the knowledge of the tools for restoration and consolidation, in relation to the existing cultural debate. The knowledge acquired, also from the point of view of structural behaviour, must allow the student to correctly deal with the analysis of the current state of an existing structure and the design of the interventions for the consolidation, making the most suitable choices also in relation to the structural pathologies and deficiencies found.
- Skills:
At the end of the course, the student must have developed the ability to identify and detect all the dimensional, material, structural and pathological aspects that characterize a historical building and to assume them as the founding basis of the restoration and consolidation project.
- Autonomy of judgement:
Upon passing the exam, the student will have developed the ability to critically assess the state of conservation of a historic building, identifying the consolidation techniques most appropriate to the case in exam, balancing conservation, safety and functionality. He/She will also have acquired the ability to understand and evaluate the quality of any restoration and consolidation project.
- Communication skills:
During the course, students must refine their language skills, with specific reference to the technical terminology of the course, in order to communicate their project effectively and accurately.
- Learning skills:
Materials and techniques for the consolidation of historical buildings are subject to continuous and rapid innovation. Therefore, the student must acquire the ability, once the problem to be solved has been identified, to select the most suitable intervention also evaluating options not necessarily exposed during the course.
Prerequisites
It is useful to have attended the Restoration course, as basic knowledge of restoration theory and constructional features of historic buildings are used in the course development.
It is also useful to have taken the Structural Engineering course, as some basic knowledge of evaluating actions on buildings and dimensioning structural elements (e.g. beams, cantilevers, columns) is taken for granted.
Finally, it is useful to have knowledge of automatic drawing programs (such as Autocad), spreadsheets (such as Excel) and multimedia presentations (e.g., Powerpoint).
Course unit content
The course analyzes the structural behavior of existing masonry buildings of historical interest.
In particular, the course provides the students the tools for the analysis and assessment of the main structural elements of an existing building, that is:
- the walls (with particular reference to their out-of-plane behavior, both in the presence of static and seismic actions)
- arches and lintels,
- vaults and domes,
- the elements of a timber roof
- the timber trusses.
The main differences with respect to the design of new buildings will be highlighted, also in relation to the Knowledge Level achieved.
The concepts analyzed from the theoretical point of view will then be applied by the students during a design exercise related to the restoration and consolidation of an existing historical building.
Full programme
The extended program and the extended bibliography are available on the web page of the course (elly)
Bibliography
- Como M., "Statics of Historic Masonry Constructions (Springer Series in Solid and Structural Mechanics Book 9) (English Edition) 3rd Edition", Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co.
- Heyman J., "The Stone Skeleton: Structural Engineering of Masonry Architecture", Cambridge University Press
Further teaching material (copy of the slides used during the course) is available on the web-page elly
Teaching methods
The course consists of a series of frontal lessons, also with the help of Powerpoint presentations, and reviews of the project. The lectures will take place in the classroom, unless otherwise provided by covid emergency.
During the course, some seminars with external lecturers may be organized, to inspect more deeply specific issues. For the project, students will be divided into groups of 2-4 people. Each group will develop the project of restoration and consolidation of a historic building, with particular reference to its structural aspects, and will be followed by the teacher through a series of revisions during the course. The reviews are carried out in the classroom (or online, if necessary) in groups, by analyzing the material prepared by the students.
Assessment methods and criteria
During the year, common reviews are planned, in which the students present their case studies to their colleagues and teachers: these intermediate moments of audit, although they have no direct connection with the final mark, are still essential to demonstrate the successful attendance of the course and contribute to develop the required communication competences.
The acquisition verification of the integrated course of "Analysis and conservation of existing structures" will take place individually in oral form and will consist of:
1) discussion of the project (1/3), which must be given to the teachers before the exam date
2. oral examination on the entire program carried out during the year, relating to:
- theoretical part of consolidation (Restoration and Consolidation module): 1/3 of the total mark;
- Theoretical part of the structural safety assessment (Structural safety assessment module): 1/3 of the total mark.
The exam will be held in presence. If the sanitary emergency will limit the possibility of exams in presence, the project material will be uploaded on elly and the oral exam will take place on the Teams platform.
Other information
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2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
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