Building archaeology: a non-destructive archaeology

“Abstract: Building-archaeology is nowadays a well defined research field even if it is on the border line between different disciplines. It was born, in fact, inside the excavation archaeology, but it developed autonomously throughout the studies of the elevated structures; it must compare itself, for what regards its results, with the instruments and methods of historians and critics of architecture; it works, both on the academic and professional field, within architectural conservation studying the same objects; it uses scientific and technological instruments to describe, analyse and to date materials and architectural structures. Since the seventies, building archaeology has created and experimented a lot of non destructive inquire instruments to study existing buildings, monumental or not. In Genoa advanced experiences in this field were carried out, first of all, by ISCUM (Institute for the History of the “cultura materiale”, a cultural association still existing). Since the end of the eighties, then, the same studies were improved also by the Archaeology Laboratory of the local School of Architecture Thanks to this long experience, it is now possible, in Genoa and its regional territory, to date bricks masonries, vaults or paves with an error limited to few decades, starting from the measures of a significant number of bricks (at least 20 for each sample). It is also possible to date wooden objects and elements of different species with the help of dendrochronologycal master curves. In the same way, the researches carried out in these years allow to date constructive techniques (such as, for example, masonry techniques), different constructive and formal elements (portals, or windows among others) or materials (mortars and plasters, above all) comparing the samples with a wide chronotypologycal data-bases. The related use of these dating methods and instruments (dendrochronology, chronotypology, mensiochronology of bricks and stones), compared with non destructive stratigraphic inquires and “configurational analyse” allow to reach a sort of “objective history” of architecture. This particular kind of history enriches our knowledge and gives useful information for a more careful and efficient conservation of cultural and architectural heritage. (pubbl. in ” Abstracts Book”, 2000, p. 163)