HISTORICAL SENTIENT – BUILDING INFORMATION MODEL: A DIGITAL TWIN FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF MUSEUM COLLECTIONS IN HISTORICAL ARCHITECTURES

Abstract. This paper investigates the application of the Digital Twin approach to get a Sentient building able to acquire the ability to perceive external inputs and develop strategies to support its management and/or conservation. The experimentation foresees the integration of an H-BIM model with a Decision Support System based on Artificial Intelligence (in this case Machine Learning techniques) for the management of museum collections in historical architectures. The innovative aspect of this methodology resides in the change of paradigm regarding the relations between the historical building under consideration and the professional figures who deal with the management, conservation and architectural restoration. This work tries to contextualize the novel HS-BIM methodology within the theoretical discussion of the disciplines mentioned above and to participate in Digital Twin's debate. HS-BIM can be seen as a possible path that leads to creating digital twins for cultural heritage. The reflection inspired by this experience aims to revise the concept of Digital Twin as a parallel/external digital model in favour of an artificial evolution of the real system augmented by a "cognitive" apparatus. In this vision, thanks to AI application, future buildings will be able to sense "comfort and pain" and learning from their own life-cycle experience but also from that one of elder sentient-buildings thanks to transfer learning already applied in AI's fields

REMOTE SENSING AND CITY INFORMATION MODELING FOR REVEALING THE COMPLEXITY OF HISTORICAL CENTERS

Abstract. Historical centers represent the outcome of transformations and stratifications of the cities across the centuries. The knowledge of a historical urban environment requires an analytical methodology articulated on several interconnected levels of investigation to model a multi-layered complexity that encompasses the geometric and stylistic features of places (blocks irregularities, narrow streets, stratified buildings), the accessibility (pedestrial zone, no flyzone), the use of existing data (GIS, cartographies). Today the challenge for historical centers is dual: on the one side to make use of expeditious technologies to acquire data, on the other one to create 3D city models that allow to manage, visualize, enquire and use these data in a unique digital ecosystem. Our research deals with a multi-sensor data acquisition, evaluation and integration with the aim of creating informed and responsive 3D city models (CIM) that constitute a synthesis of the survey conducted and become the support for simulations in various contexts (seismic risk, hydraulic, energy performance)

AN EXPEDITIOUS PARAMETRIC APPROACH FOR CITY INFORMATION MODELING AND FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

Abstract. The mitigation of seismic risk passes through the assessment of seismic hazard of urban fabrics on a given territory. Statistical methods and damage probability matrices are currently used to facilitate seismic safety knowledge and assessment operations. These methods, despite being fast and low cost, often return results that differ from reality and prone to the expertise of the operator. Indeed, in order to have more accurate information it is necessary to conduct Finite Element Analysis (FEA). However, this type of analysis requires considerable surveying and modeling time and therefore are not easily applied to the urban scale. The key to implement this analysis at the territorial scale lies in the way of acquisition of urban data (geometric and informative) and their management within appropriate modeling environments that allow their treatment. Currently, the information modeling paradigms used for urban data collection and management are either time and resource consuming (HBIM) or overly simplified (GIS). In this research we investigate the potential of City Information Modeling (CIM) in a parametric environment (with reference to CityGML standards) combined with urban survey procedures. Aim of the work presented here is the definition of a parametric modeling protocol that allows, in a short time, the acquisition, modeling and finite element structural analysis of urban aggregates

Proactive risk assessment through failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) for perioperative management model of oral anticoagulant therapy. A pilot project

Introduction: Correct perioperative management of anticoagulant therapy is essential to prevent thromboembolic events and reduce the risk of bleeding. The lack of universally accepted guidelines makes perioperative anticoagulant therapy management difficult. The present study aims to identify the perioperative risks of oral anticoagulant therapy and to reduce adverse events through Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA). Materials and Methods: A multidisciplinary working group was set up, and four main phases of the process were identified. Each of these phases was divided into micro-activities to identify the related possible failure modes and their potential consequences. The Risk Priority Number was calculated for each failure mode. Results and Discussion: Seventeen failure modes were identified in the entire perioperative period; those with a higher priority of intervention concern the incorrect timing between therapy suspension and surgery, and the incorrect assessment of the bleeding risk related to the invasive procedure. Conclusion: The FMEA method can help identify anticoagulant therapy perioperative failures and implement the management and patient safety of surgical procedures

PARTICIPATORY APPROACH FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF ARCHITECTURALARCHIVES FUNDS: THE EXPERIENCE AT MUSEO DELLA RAPPRESENTAZIONE IN CATANIA

Abstract. This paper describes the results of a participatory approach experienced during the training of university and high school students at the MuRa (Museo della Rappresentazione). Mura is a university museum belonging to the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture at University of Catania. It houses and exhibits the collections of architectural projects of Francesco Fichera and a series of chalcographies including the collection of the renown engraver Giovan Battista Piranesi. The training program has been addressed at the documentation, visualization and communication of the architectures realized by Francesco Fichera and other Sicilian architects in the city centre of Catania in the first half of XXth century, whose projects are hosted by the museum. The methodology adopted has included the experimentation of participatory strategies aimed at the communication and the narration of the architectures built in the early twentieth century in Catania. After a preliminary training phase on digital tools for 3D documentation and enhancement of architectural heritage, the students were invited to participate with their ideas and creative expressions in the dissemination actions of the identified case studies

Integrated methods for the conservation and restoration of archaeological sites. An experimental application on the "Balneum" of Piazza Dante in Catania (Italy)

Abstract. Archaeological sites in urban areas are often poorly integrated with the modern urban fabric and appear as "trenches" at a lower level than the road. They become neglected and unvalued places. The study of archaeological ruins in urban centres must involve archaeologists and architects to integrate restoration, enhancement and improvement of physical and visual accessibility projects. New digital technologies can improve these activities thanks to 3D models, "digital replicas" that allow even remote study (especially during a pandemic). The paper presents the case study of a private Roman-imperial bath in Catania. The open-air site is located at a depth of 3 metres above the road level and is not exploited. Our study consisted of historical-bibliographical research, direct and SfM surveys that allowed creating a high-resolution textured 3D model. We have extracted orthophotos and sections for geometric and technical-constructive analyses and recognition of decay from this model. We drew up an archaeological restoration and valorisation design. In addition, we imported the model into the Sketchfab portal. So, we enriched the mesh with information from the analyses employing specific tags about annotations, 2D drawings, historical and technical-scientific information. In this way, the model becomes an interactive document to monitor over time the conservation state, validate the restoration design and contribute to the valorisation of the site. This is an easy tool of exchange between all involved users (researchers, professions and students). Thus, the digital replica also represents a very high potential for dissemination purposes

Construction technology and raw materials for the restoration of Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Cornaro Chapel Vault, Rome (Italy)

The scientific and multidisciplinary approach to the restoration of Bernini's Cornaro Chapel, at Santa Maria della Vittoria church in Rome, is reported as a fruitful example of the synergic cooperation between scientists and restorers for the planning and implementation of suitable conservative interventions. This study reports the cycle of scientific and diagnostic investigations carried out on the great Baroque masterpiece before the restoration started in 2020. Before the restoration, the technique of execution, the raw materials, and the state of preservation of Bernini's extraordinary sculptural cycle were scrupulously investigated with different and complementary analytical techniques on suitably selected micro-samples. Specifically, the original constituent materials were characterized, sometimes together with those resulting from decay processes or previous restoration interventions, through different techniques such as polarizing optical (OM) and fluorescence microscopy (FM), Electron Probe Microanalyses (EPMA) coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDX) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Particular attention was paid to the frescoed vaulted ceiling of the chapel, enriched by scenes modeled in white stucco and gilding, to better understand the manufacturing as well as the accuracy adopted by Bernini in layering, investigating from the most superficial to the innermost layers. Scientific and diagnostic analyses were successfully performed to design the most convenient restoration intervention, to verify its correctness and ensure the use of non-invasive cleaning and conservative procedures. The results obtained from nine micro-samples, mainly composed of stucco and fragments of frescoes, contributed to dispelling the doubts raised by restorers, especially regarding the use of specific raw materials (notably the gilding, type of binder and aggregates, superficial patinas, etc.) and the presence of retouches in certain areas of the masterpiece, deriving from previous conservation interventions. The identification of these raw materials and the layering of the samples supported cleaning and restoration interventions through the use of suitable materials compatible with the originals

Preliminary archaeometric analysis on a marble bas-relief of unknown origin

This paper addresses an archaeometric study of a marble bas-relief seized by the Cosenza Carabinieri Unit for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and Anti-Counterfeiting (Calabria, Italy). The research aimed to collect data on the authenticity of the artwork, providing indications about the compositional features of the sampled materials. An analytical approach based on the use of SEM-EDX and FT-IR techniques along with a stylistic evaluation of the artwork, allowed us to answer the requests posed by the institutions and to set the work in a different historical context from the Roman production

Archaeometric Study of Two Tanagra Type Statuettes of Unknown Provenance to Support Forensic Study

This paper is concerned with a morphological-stylistic and archaeometric study of two small pottery statues, confiscated by the Cosenza Carabinieri Unit for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and Anti-Counterfeiting (Calabria, Italy). The research aimed to establish the authenticity of the artworks and to verify a possible origin from the same workshop manufacturing, by providing indications about the textural features and raw materials used for their production. For these purposes, the analytical approach involved the use of minero-petrographic and physical analysis, as follows: petrographic analysis (OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermoluminescence tests (TL). The preliminary observation, which highlights differences in the stylistic features of the two statuettes as well as in the color, morphology and distribution of the white-greyish patina, is further confirmed by the TL investigations. The TL test revealed an ancient production only for one of the analyzed finds and the investigations on the raw materials allowed to relate this to a possible local historical-artistic context. The second statuette, on the other hand, is attributable to a modern production as confirmed by TL measurement

Byzantine wall paintings from San Marco d’Alunzio, Sicily: non-invasive diagnostics and microanalytical investigation of pigments and plasters

A diagnostic investigation was carried out on twelfth century Byzantine wall paintings preserved in the Museum of Byzantine and Norman Culture and Figurative Arts of San Marco d’Alunzio (Messina, Italy) on the occasion of recent restoration works. First, the wall paintings were analyzed using portable X-Ray Fluorescence (p-XRF) and Fiber Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) to obtain a non-invasive preliminary identification of the original palette. Then, five fragments were sampled for a micro-stratigraphy study using Digital Optical Microscope (DOM), Polarizing Optical Microscope (POM), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) combined with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS) to characterize the mortars and the blue and black pigments non unequivocally identified through non-invasive techniques. The palette included mainly earthen pigments like red and yellow ochres, green earth, and more valuable lapis lazuli blue applied on a bone black layer; while the analysis of mortars found on the different apses showed the same manufacturing technique and constitutive materials: lime-based binder with the addition of quartz, and rare calcareous lithic fragments as aggregate. The obtained results shed light on the pictorial technique used for the wall paintings and allowed us to compare the Sicilian pictorial cycle with the coeval Byzantine wall paintings preserved in Sardinia and Southern Italy