Implementing a landscape information modelling (LIM) tool for planning leisure facilities and landscape protection.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is growing in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry. With the new strategy to mandate BIM, there is a need to identify its importance in architectural landscape design. It has the potential to challenge some of the limitations of designing, constructing and managing the built environment. Using BIM tools and applications, landscape analysis can be explored, developed and documented for design, planning and organization as well. This application, known as Landscape Information Modelling (LIM), may store object information such as: irrigation pipelines; areas allocated to specific plants; list of different plants involved in landscape projects; etc. Annotations used in landscape drawings would be accompanied by information attached to it. In this paper, a first application of LIM aimed to landscape protection has been implemented, so as to help in planning leisure facilities. Indeed, with many details involved, it can also be used to store data for landscape architects, who would easily develop and organize detailed information. Hence, with the ability for simulation and visualization, they should be able to produce detailed plans, walk-through animations and renderings for presentation, while exploring the scope and nature of work and making informed decision at early design stages

Ancient roads in Southern Italy: an hypothesis of requalification for the valorization of the rural landscape.

The rural heritage of a specific area represents the form that man has been able to give to its surrounding landscape. Over the centuries, in many European rural areas, roads have lost their traditional design motivation. Their requalification, in the framework of a sustainable development of rural areas, can be an important way for the protection of the landscape. Through the provision of new alternative activities, compatible with the particular nature of the environment, new opportunities for a sustainable preservation of the environment are possible. The “Francigena Way" is a combination of arterial roads dating back to the Roman era. The “Herculia Way" is part of the “Francigena Way" that was built in southern Italy. The aim of this research is to study a possible requalification of a part of the Herculia Way. Some ancient paths, known as “tratturi” (sheep-tracks) and small royal tratturi, in some measure still existing, have been identified and located on historical maps. One of these paths has been chosen for the present analysis; different surveys have allowed us to identify some rural buildings along its route, with a significant architectonical, historical and landscape value. The hypothesis of a structural and functional recovery through their maintenance and restoration will help the sustainable protection and enhancement of the landscape

Ancient roads in Southern Italy: an hypothesis of requalification for the valorization of the rural tourism.

The current rural heritage in a specific area represents the form that the man has been able to give to his surroundings. Over the centuries, in many European rural areas, the roads have lost their traditional design motivation. Their requalification in the framework of a sustainable development of the rural areas can be an important way for a sustainable development of rural tourism. It could pass through the valorization of route-based itineraries designed on some ancient roads, as those built in Europe by the Romans or during the middle-age for religious pilgrimages. The “Francigena Way" is a combination of arterial roads dating back to the roman epoch; the “Herculia Way" is a part of the “Francigena Way" that was built in Southern Italy. In this paper the possible requalification of a part of the Herculia Way has been hypotized. Some ancient paths, known as “tratturi” (sheep-tracks) and small royal tratturi, partly still existing, have been detected and located on historical maps, for a possible structural and functional restore, with the creation of a route that could be run along by walking, by bicycle or on horseback. This redevelopment could contribute to the protection and enhancement of the rural landscape elements examined, to the sustainable management of the environment and the enhancement of rural history and, more generally, to the promotion of rural tourism

New secondary materials from recycled agricultural lastic films.

The extensive and expanding use of plastic material in the Italian agriculture for several diverse application results in increased accumulation of plastic waste in rural areas. The current practices adopted by Farmers consist, unfortunately, of a mismanagement of the plastic material that is abandoned or buried in open fields or burnt in a not controlled way, with heavy environmental consequences and a loss of material and energy. In the present paper, an analysis of the most technical efficient and economically feasible solutions for the management of agricultural plastic waste is given. These solutions represent main results of the European Project “Labelagriwaste” and they enable the analysis and planning of agricultural plastic waste fluxes, together with the possibility to investigate different development scenarios and to consider new planning strategies for the management of agricultural plastic waste

Planning the Integrated Management of Organic Waste Flows and Agricultural Residues for a Circular Economy

In the recent years, the production, management and disposal of both organic waste and agricultural residues has become significantly difficult in Italy, due to the lack of suitable facilities. Very often, indeed, within the different regions, there are no treatment plants for the organic fraction of municipal solid waste or agricultural residues treatment centres, so as to give them a second life in the perspective of a circular economy. The lack of proximity treatment centres, forces local administrations to send these flows to plants outside their territorial area, with a consequent increase for transport and treatment costs. This paper, with reference to the study area of the Matera municipality (Basilicata region - Southern Italy), taking into consideration the organic waste flows of non-domestic users from separate collection and agricultural residues - especially those coming from the wine production chain - provides a state-of-the-art analysis of the problems related to their collection, management and disposal. Subsequently, an alternative model feasibility study - called "proximity composting", aimed at a more sustainable management of these flows based on their “zero-kilometers treatment” – has been implemented. The results obtained have demonstrated that the proposed scenario is much more sustainable when compared to the current situation, both from an economic and environmental point of view. Indeed, thanks to the use of calculation tools, the economic (€/year) and environmental (Kg CO2 avoided/year) advantages, due to the save of transport and disposal of flows outside the region, have been quantified, with consequent reduction of waste tax for citizens (€/year). In addition, the implementation of maps using a Geographical Information System (GIS) has demonstrated a better optimization of the system. Finally, it was highlighted the social utility of the proposed model, because citizens become an active part in the process and self-produce soil fertilisers

New Technologies for Ecosystem Analysis Planning and Management

Planning the rural environment is one of the most intriguing examples of technical challenge where a multi-disciplinary approach plays a crucial role. The agricultural production, both food and non-food, the social role of rural settlements, the state and diffusion of the infrastructural networks, the rural architectonic heritage that in many countries constitutes a major positive value, should be appropriately considered and sinergically interlaced for a sound planning of agricultural biosystems. Human activities impose a transformation of the extra-urban land that may lead to the modification of the frail equilibrium of whole ecosystems. Sound planning strategies should be therefore pursued, employing a multidisciplinary approach that should take into account geographical, environmental and landscape factors as variables interacting among themselves and with the social and economic aspects. In order to simultaneously analyse all these properties, tools able to manage, interpret and integrate several data are necessary

Experimental analysis on concrete blocks reinforced with Arundo donax fibres

Over the last decades, there has been growing attention in research and development on non-conventional building materials, such as vegetable fibres (e.g., flax, hemp, jute, etc.), to be used as eco-friendly materials in a wide range of applications in civil construction. The main reasons for this interest are related to the specific properties, price, and sustainability of natural fibres, which can be considered ‘green’ building materials. In this article, the tensile strength of a new type of fibre extracted from the stem of the Giant Reed Arundo donax L. has been investigated. First, these fibres, which widely grow in Mediterranean areas but are diffused worldwide as well have been extracted from the outer part of the plant stem. Then, in order to have an initial idea of their influence on the mechanical properties of concrete, some experimental bricks have been prepared, with the addition of different weight percentages of this vegetal fibre. Compression and tensile tests on the whole block have been performed to assess the mechanical properties of these bricks. Hence, the differences between concrete bricks without fibre and those reinforced with different weight percentages of natural fibre have been analysed, assessing their potential applications in bio-architecture

Experimental analysis on concrete blocks reinforced with Arundo Donax fibers.

Over the last decade, there has been a growing attention in research and development on non-conventional building materials and technologies, such as vegetable fibers (e.g., flax; hemp; jute; etc.), to be used as eco-friendly materials in a wide range of applications in civil construction. The main reasons of this interest are related to the specific properties, price and sustainability of natural fibers, which can be considered as “green” building materials. In this article, a new kind of fibers, extracted from stem of the Giant Reed Arundo donax L., has been investigated as a potential reinforcement of construction materials. These fibers, which widely grow in Mediterranean areas, but that are diffused all around the world as well, have been extracted from the outer part of plant stem. Then, some experimental concrete bricks, have been prepared with the addition of different weight percentages of vegetal fiber. To assess the mechanical properties of these bricks, tensile tests on single fiber have been performed, as well as compression tests on the whole block. Hence, the differences between concrete bricks without any fiber and those reinforced with different weight percentages of natural fiber have been analyzed, and their potential applications in bio-architecture have been assessed

GIScience and Historical Cartography for Evaluating Land Use Changes and Resulting Effects on Carbon Balance

Multi-chronological examination of territory using GIScience and historical cartography may reveal a strategic tool for investigating changes in land use and the surrounding landscape structure. In this framework, the soil plays a key role in ecosystem evolution, since it governs all the mechanisms at the basis of vegetal growth, as well as all components of the total environment contributing to the formation of a rural landscape, including the balance of carbon dioxide. The present study was developed using a GIS approach applied to historical maps and aims to assess the environmental impact of land-use change, with particular attention to its effects on agricultural soil and atmospheric carbon dioxide balance. Thanks to a comparison between historical cartographic maps of different periods, this geospatial approach has enabled the assessment of the evolution of the rural land of the study area in the municipality of Ruoti (Basilicata Region—Southern Italy). This area, indeed, has been affected by deep land-use transformations, mainly caused by agricultural activities, with a resulting impact on the atmospheric CO2 balance. These transformations have been analyzed and quantified in order to contribute to the understanding on how the changes in land use for agricultural purposes have led to unforeseen changes in the rural landscape, ecosystems and the environment. The results showed that the greatest changes in land use were caused by the abandonment of large rural areas, resulting in the expansion of urban areas, a decrease in orchard and arable land (about less 25%), and an increase in woodland (more than 30%). These changes have resulted in a doubling in soil carbon fixation value. The final results have therefore confirmed that historical cartography within a GIS approach may decisively offer information useful for more sustainable agricultural activities, so as to reduce their negative contribution to climate change

Concrete Blocks Reinforced with Arundo donax Natural Fibers with Different Aspect Ratios for Application in Bioarchitecture

In recent decades, the construction industry has advanced in its use of natural green resources, such as vegetable fibers (e.g., flax, hemp, jute, etc.) added in concrete mixtures, to create building materials that are both economically and environmentally sustainable. The pricing, low energy cost, and environmental sustainability of these natural fibers are driving this interest. The quantity of fibers and the ratio of fiber length to its transverse diameter (aspect ratio) are critical characteristics that have a decisive impact on concrete’s mechanical qualities. The influence of the aspect ratio of Arundo donax fibers on the tensile characteristics of concrete blocks was specifically investigated in this study. These fibers were collected from the outer section of the stem of this plant, which grows commonly in Mediterranean locations, but that is also found all over the world. Experiments were carried out on cylindrical concrete blocks with a constant amount of fiber (1 percent by weight) and different aspect ratios: 30, 50, and 70 (mm/mm) respectively, to assess their tensile strength, even when compared with concrete blocks without any fiber addition. Tensile tests on Arundo donax fibers were also conducted, with the aim to contribute to the analysis of their interaction with cementitious matrices, and to assess differences between the various compositions. The results showed a direct impact of the aspect ratio on the final tensile strength of concrete blocks, with higher aspect ratios producing superior tensile properties