IL RECUPERO DELLA MEMORIA: LA RIFUNZIONALIZZAZIONE DI CASA MOLINARI A MORRA DE SANCTIS

The 1980 earthquake had devastated the urban structure of the inner North Avellino’s areas, where the annihilation of entire towns and hamlets had been reported. The reconstruction process has often proposed the relocation of entire inhabited complexes, resulting in the emergence of new developments with very different features from the original ones. This has not been the case of the community of Morra de Sanctis, where, in order to preserve historical memories connected to eminent figures such as Pope Gregory the Seventh and Francesco de Sanctis, a policy aimed at the restoration of the historical building fabric has been stubbornly put into place. It is within this framework that the recuperation of “Casa Molinari” and its designation as a Centre for DeSanctisian studies has been planned. The building, which had been significantly disturbed and damaged by the earthquake, and had been subject to and earlier partial consolidation, has been finally restored thanks for the regional fund PSR Campania 2007/2013. The building consists of a load-bearing structure made of a mixed limestone walls, vaults built with lighter materials, and wooden frameworks. Of particular interest is the configuration of the noble rooms, which are internally delimited by stud-walls and vaults made from terracotta components (called “bubbole”), forming a structure within the structure. Analysis conducted on the building provided a basis for a systematic and extended study through which it was possible to obtain information about local construction techniques and traditional building materials. This has been the starting point for the restoration and recuperation project of Casa Molinari: here the uniqueness of its internal structure has been used to formulate interventions aimed at consolidating and rebuilding according to the deformation compatibility between structural elements and other elements completing the building in order to ameliorate and improve anti-seismic features of the building. Our contribution is aimed at illustrating the scientific method of project design and the implementation phases, highlighting interesting ways to deploy innovative materials by integrating them with traditional ones.