Following the 2009 earthquake, in the current situation where tremors continue to plague central Italy, it is important to reflect on the role of conservation in the aftermath of disasters and, in particular, on current approaches to the reconstruction now underway. While the disastrous conditions may appear similar to those of a war zone, which raises (now anachronistic and unfeasible) psychologically-motivated demands to reconstruct 'where it was - how it was', on the other hand the destruction caused by natural events produces emotional reactions to do with safety. For this reason, there is now a general devaluation of historic architectural features, considered (sometimes erroneously) to be inadequate and unsafe, in favour of modern construction Technologies that have not always been effective; not to mention a general mistrust of seismic improvement, which is considered less effective than seismic retrofitting. This position has resulted in the demolition of a vast swathe of historic heritage and many historic buildings have been replaced by others of poor architectural quality that aim to imitate their predecessors and that reuse formal construction elements that are nonsensical when incorporated into new buildings. On the contrary, conservation is far from restoration and counterfeiting; research on this subject can provide the conceptual means to deal with reconstruction not only with a technical approach but also with a more cultural one, which has to be extended from planning in historic contexts and landscapes to reconstruction work in damaged areas, which should be considered true 'lacunae' in a figurative urban fabric. Furthermore, our historical-structural understanding of buildings allows us to highlight their actual resilience over time, something which should be taken into consideration when evaluating the actual vulnerability of historic buildings (a vulnerability that is often due to inadequate improvements rather than structural deficiencies) and calibrating the reinforcement work necessary for each specific case.
La ricerca nel restauro come risposta al disastro. Il terremoto in Abruzzo: priorità, prospettive, sfide e occasioni (sinora) mancate
Carla Bartolomucci
2017
Abstract
Following the 2009 earthquake, in the current situation where tremors continue to plague central Italy, it is important to reflect on the role of conservation in the aftermath of disasters and, in particular, on current approaches to the reconstruction now underway. While the disastrous conditions may appear similar to those of a war zone, which raises (now anachronistic and unfeasible) psychologically-motivated demands to reconstruct 'where it was - how it was', on the other hand the destruction caused by natural events produces emotional reactions to do with safety. For this reason, there is now a general devaluation of historic architectural features, considered (sometimes erroneously) to be inadequate and unsafe, in favour of modern construction Technologies that have not always been effective; not to mention a general mistrust of seismic improvement, which is considered less effective than seismic retrofitting. This position has resulted in the demolition of a vast swathe of historic heritage and many historic buildings have been replaced by others of poor architectural quality that aim to imitate their predecessors and that reuse formal construction elements that are nonsensical when incorporated into new buildings. On the contrary, conservation is far from restoration and counterfeiting; research on this subject can provide the conceptual means to deal with reconstruction not only with a technical approach but also with a more cultural one, which has to be extended from planning in historic contexts and landscapes to reconstruction work in damaged areas, which should be considered true 'lacunae' in a figurative urban fabric. Furthermore, our historical-structural understanding of buildings allows us to highlight their actual resilience over time, something which should be taken into consideration when evaluating the actual vulnerability of historic buildings (a vulnerability that is often due to inadequate improvements rather than structural deficiencies) and calibrating the reinforcement work necessary for each specific case.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
