PSI - Issue 29

Leonardo Zaffi et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 29 (2020) 157–164 Zaffi, Capestro and Viti / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2019) 000 – 000

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The design of the Power Station goes back to 1938-1940, and its construction has been made between 1939 and 1945. It has a RC structure, made of column and beams, whose design has been made according to the technica l regula tions of the time (R.D.1981-4/09/1927; R.D.2229-16/11/1939), which, of course, differ very much form the current standards and do not include any specification regarding the seismic hazard. The curta in wa lls consist of two different layers of masonry wa lls, respectively made of an externa l layer of masonry bricks and an interna l a ir bricks one. In 2019, within a restoration program, a careful survey has been made on the structure, in order to check its structura l capacity and degradation level. A Knowledge Level equa l to 2 (NTC 2018) has been achieved, after the performing of an extensive number of in-situ tests, including 26 core crushing ana lysis on both beams and columns (the structura l investigation was made by Ing. M. Micheloni), and a dynamic identification ana lysis has been made, in order to set the structura l model. The assessment of the safety level of the structure is still in progress; the building, however, will be recovered and addressed to catering and public functions, respectively. In this scenario, the “Maso”projectwas aimeda t collecting thea ttentionof thepopulation on the bu ildingand the rela tedprojects. 2.3. The project: teamorganizationandmaincontents The experience has been promoted by Clet; he was required to develop the project by “Immobiliare Novoli” , a private Rea l Estate company which wanted to promote urban interventions to improve the interest of the area . Despite he used to work by himself, in this occasion Clet decided to involve the Department of Architecture of the University of Florence, to change his approach to design, and share this experience with the students. After the agreement between Clet, Prof. Zaffi and Prof. Capestro, a specia l class has been started a imed at working at this project. The students have been involved in the experience starting for the very first step, i.e. the choice of the shape and the dimensions togive to the sculpture, the material to use for its construction, and the structuralmodel to adopt. The meeting of the class with professors and Clet, as well as the design and the construction of the nose -shaped sculpture, took place in a specia l University-room dedica ted to carpentry and hand-made activities, equipped with tools and power tools for shaping and wood working, whose dimensions played a role in the construction organization.

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Fig. 3. Sketch (a) and models (b,c) of the project.

The proposed intervention , named “Maso” (a Tuscan traditiona l name chosen to give a sense of friendliness to this art work), consisted in the creation of a three- dimensiona l “nose” to stand on the façade of the Power Station, in