Abstract

One of the objectives of the redevelopment project for Trajan׳s Market, which spanned from 2000 to 2002, was to rearrange the market׳s accessibility and the visiting paths that connect and cross the entire site. The purpose was to extensively expose its beauty and thus invite more tourists into the area. The project design consisted of a series of catwalks placed at different levels and was conceived with respect to three criteria: (1) the didactic significance of forms and materials, (2) the coherence between architectural forms, techniques, and materials with the identity of the place, and (3) the possibility of removing, if necessary, newly added elements without damaging the relics. The project also involved the rearrangement and reconstruction of the former “Giardino delle Milizie” (2002–2007) to allow public access to the archaeological stratification and to the ancient Roman street located at its bottom. Consequently, the vaults of the convent were suspended upon a system of steel beams, which, together with several wooden pillars, also support the glass roof of the space, offering a close view of the ancient Roman walls. The structure and architectural forms coincide, implying that each of these elements is necessary and genuine.

Abstract

Xiaonan Garden is the back garden at the Weng family’s former residence, a famed mansion in Jiangnan. Various architectural colored paintings in the Jiangnan style, including a rare paster colored painting, are preserved in the garden. This study examines the wooden support, pigments, and structure of the painting and conducts a series of conservation experiments in situ and in the laboratory. Several conservation problems, such as the manually brushed lime, re-adherence of flaking painting layers, and consolidation of gold foil, were solved, and good results were obtained. Virtual recovery provided a solid foundation for protection and example of research on architectural colored paintings in Jiangnan.

Abstract

The current paper discusses the conservation and restoration of the Guang Sheng Si Pagoda of the Liao Dynasty in Liaoning Province, China. The Southeast University, together with the Conservation Center of Liaoning Province, the Sapienza University of Rome, and the IUAV University of Venice, organized a workshop on the current project, which consists of a preliminary investigation, the restoration design, and on-site construction. The current study attempts to introduce the expressing procedure through precise on-site investigations and the rendering of restoration drawings based on the integral definition of the structural damages. This project is a new technique in the field of traditional restoration in China.

Abstract

In 1972 mural paintings of Takamatsuzuka tumulus were discovered and have been conserved on site for 35 years, but fungi growth on the mural paintings was not suppressed. In 2007 the stone chamber was dismantled and removed to the facility for conservation and restoration. The purposes of our study are to clarify the main cause of the deterioration and to propose a suitable method to prevent the deterioration for preserving them on site. In this paper, we developed the two-dimensional analysis model by considering the actual change of the surrounding mound because of the excavation in 1972, and perform the analysis of heat behavior of Takamatsuzuka tumulus before and after excavation and compare effects of different sun-shading methods on heat behavior of the stone chamber. The main results are as follows: (1) after the excavation, the inside surface temperature distribution of the stone chamber and the amplitude of indoor temperature become larger. (2) Using the sun-shading panel in the area of excavation is an effective method to reduce the average indoor temperature, however, it has no influence on reducing the temperature distribution of the stone chamber and the temperature difference between the inside wall and indoor.

Abstract

The framework of the Italian restoration doctrine is based on the reception and transmission of the memory of the past. However, interventions in modern architecture represent a radical drift in the sense that they mostly consist of reconstructions, refurbishments, and renovations. Such work disregards the sense of value acknowledgment that is implicit in architectural conservation and neglects the importance of material conservation. The uneven fortune of the School of Mathematics at Rome׳s University Campus illustrates this situation. This predicament is similar to that of many other modern buildings that have been declared “monuments” by mouth but are actually bent to listless and insensible use, mistreated, and hardly maintained. The recent work carried out at the School of Mathematics proves that interventions on modern buildings are mostly insensitive to their true significance and are often carried out in extreme urgency for mere practical reasons, if not for political opportunities. Modern buildings can be true architectural monuments that express great esthetic potentials and retain notable historical weight in the history of architecture, therefore, they should be regarded as highly representative of our recent past and maintained as such.

Abstract

The Grand Canal is of incomparable importance to ancient China, which still serves its original functions in the current society. Given its outstanding value, the conservation of the Grand Canal in China is drawing an increasing attention, and there is a proposal to inscribe it in the World Heritage List in the near future. The different functions of the Grand Canal determine the roles of the different departments, however, there are some contradictions that will harm its conservation. The current paper attempts to find solutions toward the better management of the Grand Canal in the context of world heritage conservation.

Abstract

Chinas civilization is ancient. The countrys architectural heritage conservation activity is an integral part of the world conservation movement. This paper gives a general introduction of the movement in China from four aspects: (1) history, (2) important conservation projects assessments, (3) new ideas and principles being debated and discussed, and (4) issues facing the movement. The present paper summarizes the essential character of the movement in China and highlights the importance of supporting and protecting this movement.

Abstract

The flat jack test is one of the most used investigation techniques in the area of architectural heritage conservation. Unfortunately, there are no results available in the literature reporting the use of the flat jack technique in cob walls. This paper presents the firs experimental campaign performed to validate the use of this Minor Destructive Technique (MDT) to determine the levels of stress in cob walls and their mechanical properties. Furthermore, three workshops organized and facilitated with the aim of increasing public engagement and awareness towards the conservation of earthen vernacular architecture are also presented.

Abstract

The conservation work carried out on the “Santa Maria degli Angeli” Orphanage in Castelgrande (Potenza, Italy) following the earthquakes of 1980 and 1981 is a good example of the need to evolve and refine the concept of seismic consolidation and upgrade of monumental heritage; this, considering not only the needs of the current structural calculation, but also those related to the design of durability and overall technological quality. Built from 1878 around the original nucleus of a chapel, the seminary, then an orphanage, kindergarten, nursery school, sewing workshop and school, and summer mountain colony, constitute a precise landmark in the landscape of the ancient town of Castelgrande. Severely damaged by the earthquakes, it was declared unfit for use and evicted, and is still abandoned today.Immediately afterwards, radical refurbishment works were carried out on it, with the creation of sub-foundations, injections and tackles with reinforced concrete slabs for the load-bearing walls, replacement of the floors in steel beams and bricks with reinforced concrete floors, replacement of the wooden roofs with others of the same configuration, but in steel beams and clay tables, with a reinforced concrete slab above. The workings were not completed due to lack of funds and those performed so far show today serious pathologies (in particular the corrosion of the reinforcement of the joist of the floors and of the steel beams) as result of the lack of attention to fundamentals of materials science and of durability. Based on the current legislation and calculation methods, the research verified the seismic vulnerability of the building and proposed the necessary corrective actions: in particular, the replacement of the roofs with others, lighter and more durable, made of laminated, conditioned local Quercus cerris wood. A new destination has been proposed, linked to the presence of the Astronomical Observatory, and its upgrade to nZEB has been designed, in respect of its monumental features.