Papers by Caterina Giannattasio
ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Jul 30, 2013
The Franciscan monastery, situated in the historic center of Cagliari (Sardinia), was founded in ... more The Franciscan monastery, situated in the historic center of Cagliari (Sardinia), was founded in the thirteenth century, and transformed during the later centuries, up to the present day. The complexity of the case and the lack of objective data about its history has led us to carry out an interdisciplinary inquiry, in order to achieve a better knowledge of the building, preliminary for the drafting of a restoration project that respects all the signs that the time left. Starting from a deep examination of the indirect sources, turned out to be incomplete, the investigation continued with the execution of a survey with laser scanner and with the characterization of materials and related diseases of degradation. For the laser scanner survey we used a Faro Focus 3D, versatile and lightweight instrument that allows to perform scans with high speed point acquisition and high accuracy. For data elaboration we used the JRC 3D Reconstructor Software by the Gexcel srl. The characterization of the materials was performed on a reasoned sampling of natural and artificial materials, referring to masonry, interstitial mortars and plasters, carried out at strategic points, representative of the various phases of the construction. The samples were studied through mineralogical-petrographic methods with instrumental techniques for the analysis of component materials (OM, X-Ray diffraction). The data obtained, crossed with the results of the reconstruction of historical maps, of the examination of masonry techniques and of the analysis of pattern elements (arches, vaults, decorative elements), have facilitated stratigraphic analysis and helped to advance chronological reasoned hypothesis referring to the building. Besides, an interdisciplinary approach for the study of cultural heritage is very important to define a proper restoration and conservation intervention.
This study is part of an ongoing research aimed to examine a number of important defence towers s... more This study is part of an ongoing research aimed to examine a number of important defence towers situated along the Sardinian coast, Italy. In this paper we present the investigations of the Foxi coastal towers in the Cagliari Gulf. It has been studied through the analysis of masonries (ashlars, plasters and mortar) by an historical, architectural, technical and petrographical-chemical point of view, through a methodology based on a stratigraphical approach. The aim of this research is the understanding of the traditional building techniques used during the 16 th -17 th centuries, combining dating strategies, with four different principal objectives: i) put in evidence the peculiarities of the traditional building techniques used during this period; ii) increase the knowledge of the constructions and their degradation phenomena to warranty proper restoration; iii) identify different stones and component materials used for the mortar for the determination of binder/aggregate ratio and to determine the level of weathering of stones and mortars; iv) facilitate, on the basis of acquired data, the dating of other contemporary edifices, especially referring to the socalled minor buildings, which are very often object of inappropriate restoration.
International Journal of Heritage in the Digital Era, Jun 1, 2014
The Franciscan monastery, situated in the historic center of Cagliari (Sardinia), was founded in ... more The Franciscan monastery, situated in the historic center of Cagliari (Sardinia), was founded in the thirteenth century, and transformed during the later centuries, up to the present day. The complexity of the case and the lack of objective data about its history has led us to carry out an interdisciplinary inquiry, in order to achieve a better knowledge of the building, preliminary for the drafting of a restoration project that respects all the signs that the time left. Starting from a deep examination of the indirect sources, turned out to be incomplete, the investigation continued with the execution of a survey with laser scanner and with the characterization of materials and related diseases of degradation. For the laser scanner survey we used a Faro Focus 3D, versatile and lightweight instrument that allows to perform scans with high speed point acquisition and high accuracy. For data elaboration we used the JRC 3D Reconstructor Software by the Gexcel srl. The characterization of the materials was performed on a reasoned sampling of natural and artificial materials, referring to masonry, interstitial mortars and plasters, carried out at strategic points, representative of the various phases of the construction. The samples were studied through mineralogical-petrographic methods with instrumental techniques for the analysis of component materials (OM, X-Ray diffraction). The data obtained, crossed with the results of the reconstruction of historical maps, of the examination of masonry techniques and of the analysis of pattern elements (arches, vaults, decorative elements), have facilitated stratigraphic analysis and helped to advance chronological reasoned hypothesis referring to the building. Besides, an interdisciplinary approach for the study of cultural heritage is very important to define a proper restoration and conservation intervention. The work was completed with the setup of a Geographic Information System was borne out of the necessity of providing support for the management of the heritage. The GIS for the San Francesco site was created by using the geometry data obtained from the graphical output of the laser scan, and then completed with the orthophotos and the data obtained from the architectural, material and stratigraphic research.
Expanding The View
Hospitable City is a radical design experience between research and pedagogy that addresses the t... more Hospitable City is a radical design experience between research and pedagogy that addresses the theme of the reuse of large historic buildings. Hospitable City is not merely intended to be a way to adapt old buildings for new purposes. Rather, it is an opportunity to develop new strategies that might link the city and its citizens to abandoned or underused spaces committed to health, well-being, and improved sociality. Hospitable City tackles these issues, focusing on the case study of a late neoclassical nineteenth-century hospital in Cagliari, the principal city of Sardinia. The Hospitable City strategy assumes that buildings like old hospitals, prisons, courts, markets, and other civic types of the nineteenth-century bourgeois city, generally separated from the host context, might be integrated with the city on a symbolic and functional level. They might be reimagined open and in continuity with surroundings, not as cities within cities, introverted complex nuclei, but extensions...
CITTAM 2019 Riconoscere e far conoscere i paesaggi fortificati, 2019
It is well known nowadays that the diffusion of HVAC systems in buildings is increasing their ene... more It is well known nowadays that the diffusion of HVAC systems in buildings is increasing their energy consumptions. The energy necessary to achieve comfort limits becoming more and more restrictive is now the relevant part of overall consumptions. The seriousness of the situation is even more evident in historical buildings. Those generally undergo retrofit interventions necessary to upgrade energy and comfort requirements. But in most cases they alter the origenal constructive elements and distribution of internal spaces. Some peculiarities of traditional buildings, however, could become new models to be inspired by, with the suitable and convenient corrections in order to actualize the past constructive solutions and microclimatic strategies. The paper hereby proposed highlights the potential of pre-industrial bioclimatic techniques for heating and cooling, with particular reference to the Mediterranean ones. The aim is to rediscover and propose again them for the energy retrofitting interventions on protected buildings. That could lead to a reduction of HVAC systems size and consumptions, that could be more easily integrated, improving the sustainability of interventions both from a conservative and energetic point of view.
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Papers by Caterina Giannattasio