Abstract

The modern and updated use of traditional materials in the building industry often proves to improve the performance of the buildings through the economy of management, duration, conditions of comfort and safety, appearance and shelf life. Within this problem a search has allowed us to verify a new building procedure based on the use of reinforced masonry with blocks of natural stone and steel bars and mortar. Then a new phase of research has defined the building procedure of prestressed reinforced masonry with dry-assembled blocks of natural stone. This paper reports the results from a test phase of the research relating to the execution of a full-scale prototype of a panel, with a curved shape, called “stone sail”. This testing allows us to verify the real feasibility of the new building procedure.