PSI - Issue 44

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Marco Peroni et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 44 (2023) 1148–1155 M. Peroni et al./ Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2022) 000 – 000

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In fact, the project regarding the columns originally envisaged their replacement with new elements with an internal steel core (an HEB300 profile suitable to carry all the upper load) then covered in masonry and finished with the capitals recovered from the existing. However, the unreliability of the masonry structure present on the upper floors, together with the difficulties of removing the capitals while safeguarding the corbels of the arches, led to the decision to retain the central masonry core of the column (after the construction of a concrete foundation beam is grafted to the basement), by first encircling it by confining reinforcement performed with high-strength galvanized steel bands and then plating it by making a steel box composed of angles and plates connected at the top and bottom by threaded rods grafted for a sufficient length up to above the impost of the upper arches and at the base so as to make the column to achieve sufficient shear and flexural strength (in case of seismic action). Around this mixed core of reinforced and confined masonry, salvaged face bricks of the outermost curtain of the ancient columns were repositioned, and the upper capitals and plinths were repositioned to complete the volumetric reconstruction of the element as it originally appeared. Finally, the elimination of the props that had been present for years, although it caused some initial apprehension, did not cause any settlements in the arches nor in the upper masonry, and therefore the intervention was concluded in the best possible way according to what was hoped and expected. 4. Notes on the scientific restoration of the ground floor Let us finally mention the purely architectural issues, which, as we have seen, had to interface with structural ones to achieve the desired result. We started from a significant deterioration of the finishes, stuccos, and decorative apparatus with plasterwork severely deteriorated due to rising damp. The absence of flooring (there was a rough concrete finish) and most of the fixtures inexorably exacerbated these problems. Therefore, the restoration was aimed at operations to maintain, consolidate and rearrange the original elements. The rooms were paved with floating elements to allow the housing of electrical and air conditioning systems. The space of the transept was, as mentioned, entirely recovered as an entrance and distributive space and was thus enhanced, in comparison with the other parts of the building, by means of stone flooring of traditional form. Finally, new wood and aluminum frames with thermal break were installed, capable of guaranteeing the necessary thermal insulation performance as well as ensuring appropriate durability over time. 5. Conclusions On Saturday, June 18, 2022, after two year s of work interrupted only in part by the pandemic events, this “Primo Stralcio” (First Extract) of works was finally presented to the citizen of Russi, who thus rediscovered, returned at least in part to use and public enjoyment, the ancient holiday residence and noble representation of the Ravenna Rasponi family, who between the 17th and 18th centuries transformed, through successive extensions and alterations, a building for warehouse use purchased from the Canons of Santa Maria in Porto into a magnificent residence, undoubtedly worthy of the most renowned royal palaces in Italy and beyond the Alps, an icon of the city of Russi. The inhabitants of these small Romagnolo village will now be able to admire it in its grandeur and beauty and also enjoy much of the space inside, and not only the already widely used outdoor areas for events and exhibitions, thus giving the monument a new and glorious life, as it had been in past centuries, while ensuring its - hopefully - lasting integrated preservation.