Raw Materials Used In Construction Building and Its Importance

El eterno dilema que supone la decisión de elegir entre materiales tradicionales y modernos viene ya desde lejos. La búsqueda de un equilibrio entre las dos posiciones puede determinar el éxito de cualquier intervención en conservación y rehabilitación. ¿Existe ese equilibrio?

This paper documents a comprehensive study of thirty-two stamped bricks found in territory of the ancient town of Cosa (Ansedonia, Grosseto). The geographical distribution of these materials distinguished ‘municipal’ productions, i.e. those found within the territory of Cosa (ager cosanus) only, and ‘urban’ productions, i.e. those found in the ager cosanus, as well as in the territory comprising Rome and its suburbs and/or the entire Tiber Valley. Main aim of the study was to verify the provenance of ‘municipal’ productions, by a combination of archaeological, epigraphical, prosopographical and archaeometrical (OM, SEM–EDS, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, INAA) research instruments and techniques. Data integration revealed that six ‘municipal’ productions (over a total of nine) were produced in the territory surrounding the Cosa's promontory, using marine and fluvial clayey deposits. Conversely, three ‘municipal’ productions were assigned to the ‘urban’ area, and possibly assigned to the Tiber Valley. An important distinction was made among the ‘urban’ productions, proving the feasibility of their discrimination

The main objective of this study was to provide a methodological insight in the archaeometric field of ceramic provenance and technology, through the identification of the scale of representative differences in terms of clay composition. For this purpose, a total of 78 clay specimens-representative of the three types of Daunian clayey raw materials (Sub-Apennine clays, alluvial deposits and terraced alluvial deposits)-was collected and geo-chemically investigated, with the aim of determining up to which geographical scale, the exclusive application of geochemical analyses can provide reliable results for the reconstruction of clayey raw materials supply. For the Daunian territory, the scale has been identified with that of a 'riverine province', i.e. between the local and the regional extension of the north Apulian fluvial courses. In practice, the Sub-Apennine clays can be chemically distinguished into a northern group, including the Salsola, Vulgano, Celone and Lorenzo streams and a southern group, including the Carapelle stream and the Ofanto river. Moreover, the comparison between the geochemical composition of the clay samples and that of local ceramic productions (previously investigated) has shown that the Sub-Apennine clays were either used as received (Clay 1 group) or refined through decantation (Clay 2 group), before being shaped into fine wares or building materials; conversely, both the alluvial and the terraced alluvial deposits were used " as received " for the production of coarse wares. Furthermore, for the first time, the geospatial network analysis was further applied to the investigation of ancient raw materials exploitation. This analysis was performed in order to reach a reasonable reconstruction of both routes and travel times linking supply areas with production and distribution sites. Surprisingly, the results have shown that, at small distances, the transportation of clayey raw materials is not only reliable but rather highly likely, especially in those sites where Sub-Apennine clays are not readily available.

The Sciacca Popular Theatre by Giuseppe Samonà and his son Alberto - two important figures of Italian architecture - is one of the most significant Italian building of the second half of the 20th century. Inaugurated in 2015, after a forty years long construction, the building has an original layout with two auditoriums; composed by three big volumes (a parallelepiped, a cone and a pyramid) and expresses an architecture of image, an idea of space determined by pure forms and by the use of a single material (the raw concrete). The use of three archetypal forms is a return to the origin, an idea almost classical and rational of architecture; at the same time is the evocation of an archaic perfection. Within this context, the use of raw concrete is also fundamental. Understood as primitive material, it participates to the expression of stability and durability across the building. As a result, the building is converted to an icon that sits in the landscape like a monument. In this sense, this architecture is a tribute to Le Corbusier, built through the interpretation of the great master language. The Sciacca Theatre represents, probably, the most remarkable example of lecorbuserian architecture in Italy.

The current study aims to develop a new strong and water-resistive limestone using active agents, which has the ability to integrate into binding agents producing the required formations. Additionally, this paper aims to develop a new approach for selection of active agents and to use them together with water for lump lime slaking that produce, in high-temperature and high-alkaline environment, new formations. Results of this study indicated using a low concentration of active agents (≤ 0.6%) results in raped ionization in the components of the water silicone fluid (WSF-94) (water molecules and water silicone fluid monomers). While high concentrations of active agents (≥ 0.6) result in a slow ionization process. Additionally, it has been found that low concentrations of water silicone fluid (≤ 0.6%) drastically increases the alkalinity of the aqueous solution, while high concentrations (≥ 0.6) slow down the progress of the alkalinity. Economically, it has been found that heat recovery at lump lime slaking costs 2.65 UAH per 1 m 3 of concrete.