The “Gothic House” in Arquata Scrivia (Italy): Constructive Details and Seismic Assessment of a Timber Framed Masonry Structure.

The paper presents the analysis of the structural and constructive system together with that of the seismic response of the “Gothic house” in Arquata Scrivia, that constitutes one rare example of timber framed masonry structure in Piedmont (Italy). Besides a certain diffusion around Europe, which is documented in the 19th century chronicles, in Italy there are only a few timber-framed buildings left. The timber frame system of the “Gothic house” presents some analogies with the French and German one (area in which it is more widespread than Italy) although it is characterized exclusively by the presence of horizontal and vertical timber elements. In the paper, the analysis of the building have been supported by an extensive investigation campaign that included the execution of several non-destructive tests on both masonry and timber elements. Preliminary step for setting-up the investigation plan was a sensitivity analysis carried out on an equivalent frame model of the building by performing nonlinear static analyses. Aims of such sensitivity analysis were, firstly, to address the as-built information phase and, then, to improve the reliability of the final model to be adopted for the seismic assessment.