Abstract:

Structural changes in the European economic system have brought about the abandonment of big industrial installations tied to the traditional local production and frequently settled near the town centre. Nowadays, in Italy, these industrial estates are integrant parts of contemporary cities and are also subject to preservation and reuse designs. It’s necessary to have an effective method of analysis for an actual knowledge of the existing buildings.
Our work aims to present a flexible method applicable to all buildings presenting a damage state and in the necessity of a Functional Reuse Project, named Knowledge-Project. This method was applied to an “heating power plant” named “Santarella”, which was the only part of an industrial complex of a textile factory, the ex-TICOSA in Como (North Italy), to preserve.
Designed by the structural engineer Luigi Santarella in 1929 (author of many manuals about concrete structures), the building was realised with concrete frame structures and external brick walls. It’s one of the most important constructions in the history of modern industrial complexes in Italy and its structure is characterized by a unique wide volume, lightened by large windows and a big roof window.
The project for the preservation and strengthening of the existing building is preceded by a preliminary diagnosis to assess the damage state, which is the result of an experimental investigation on site.
Each component of the building is then analysed. Different aspects are taken into consideration: its topography (geometrical survey), structure (for the definition of the Safety Level), materials, history and fittings. These analysis are then recollected. Such methodological procedures improve the knowledge of the building and allows the development of a project that respects the materical features of historical buildings.
The Research Group of the Faculty of Civil Architecture of “Politecnico di Milano” is composed of: Walter Battaglia, Mauro Cattaneo, Fabio Corbella, Emanuela De Santi, Diego Magrì, Luca Ripamonti, Giorgio Veronelli, Matteo Zanella.

Keywords:

heritage architecture and historical aspects, reuse of heritage building, analysis of different.