FORTMED2025 - Defensive Architecture of the Mediterranean

FORTMED 2025, la octava edición del congreso internacional “Fortifications of the Mediterranean Coast”, se celebrará los días 10, 11 y 12 de abril de 2025 en la Università della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” de Caserta, Italia. Está organizado por el Dipartimento di Architettura e Disegno Industriale (DADI), y aceptará tanto “full papers” como “short papers” en inglés, italiano o español, todos ellos sometidos a revisión por pares.

Este evento reunirá a académicos y profesionales interesados en el estudio, conservación y valorización del patrimonio fortificado del Mediterráneo. Este congreso apuesta por una perspectiva interdisciplinar que abarca arquitectura, arqueología, ingeniería, historia, geografía y gestión del patrimonio, entre otros campos, enfatizando tanto los métodos tradicionales como las tecnologías digitales avanzadas para la documentación y conservación. Se espera que FORTMED 2025 fortalezca las redes de colaboración internacional, promueva el intercambio de buenas prácticas en valorización sostenible del patrimonio fortificado, y fomente el diálogo entre lo militar —como herencia estructural— y su conversión en componentes activos dentro de los paisajes culturales contemporáneos.

URI permanente para esta colecciónhttps://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/221882

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Mostrando 1 - 20 de 199

Access status: Abierto ,
Il fortificare come buon governo. La testimonianza della Repubblica di Venezia
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Cosmescu, Dragos
[EN] A sign of good sovereign is protection to citizens and fortifying is the best act of good government for all periods - peace and war - since it prepares in advance, discourages enemies and reassures citizens. Protection is the duty of the prince, but it also useful for the good prince to protect its subjects and their property. Of the actions taken in fortifying a place, Modernizing is most clearly associated by the good government, separating it from the more basic activities of constructing and repairing existing defenses.We will apply this investigation to the republic of Venice. The Serenissima manifests concerted efforts to provide secure conditions for its subjects to live and apply their trade. Its strong places also offer a safe haven that non-subjects would also frequent and trust to use. The republic offers its citizens a wide variety of fortified defenses, tailored to maximize their impact, especially with architectural structures alla moderna implemented throughout the domain, from Bergamo to Cyprus. This architecture of Sovereignty contains military structures, auxiliary defensive structures, and administrative structures. Venice sends the best architects and engineers of the time, both citizens and foreigners to these places to ensure their utmost quality of design and implementation. Their solutions are translated into city fortifications and forts to protect the territory (Palmanova), and traffic - anchorage places and commercial passage (Peschiera del Garda, Spinalonga, Suda, Grabusa). The city fortifications especially go through a process of enlarging and also modernizing, in various combinations: maintain existing walls and build new walled circuit further away (Candia, Canea, Spalato, Corfu); modernize only part of the defenses (Napoli di Romània, Lonato del Garda, Cerines, Sebenico); replace almost completely (Nicosia, Zara, Bergamo, Retimo). We will approach these many examples and different solutions to investigate their efficiency. The success and perennity of these defenses speak for their soundness, as effect of good govern.
Access status: Abierto ,
Geometria e costruzione: le scarpe delle torri del Castel Nuovo di Napoli
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Como, Maria Teresa; Lanzara, Emanuela
[EN] The renovation of Castel Nuovo in Naples, begun in 1443 by Alfonso V of Aragón immediately after the conquest, saw the collaboration of Majorcan masters skilled in the art of stone cutting and building in ashlar under the guidance of Guillelm Sagrera and internationally renowned local masons such as Onofrio della Cava. Among the most distinctive elements of the castle the piperno stone cladding of the tower’s bases, in isodomic horizontal courses and complex shapes of the outer surface, is unique and gives identity and monumentality. As documented in the contracts, the heterogeneous group of technicians, directed by the royal court, gave rise to a singular work, highlighting the pre-eminence of the Majorcans in the technique and the training of the Cavesi in the geometric control of cutting and laying the blocks. The study, supported by the digital photogrammetric survey, is aimed to to explicate and document the geometric-constructive apparatus of the stone cladding on the bases of the towers.
Access status: Abierto ,
Mura civiche in Piazza Fiera di Trento. Il progetto di restauro e i primi dati di cantiere
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Bruschetti, Anna; Endrizzi, Monica; Gentilini, Giorgia; Milesi, Elena
[EN] The city walls of Piazza Fiera in Trento have been the object of interest of the municipal administration since 2001, when the surveys and observations on their state of consistency began, given the evident importance of the artefact for the urban history and its increasing degradation. The foundations were therefore laid for its knowledge, studying its texture and materials, construction methods and transformation, to probe its structural efficiency and possible vulnerabilities and to plan an adequate conservation scheme over time. The pre-work-site activities were aimed to collect the information necessary for drafting the restoration project: a constructive-stratigraphic survey of the wall faces was drawn up, with in-depth diagnostics on the mineralogical-petrographic nature of the mortars, as well as the recognition of surface biodeteriogens, black crusts and patinas to supplement the macroscopic mapping of the pathologies of the degradation found. The 2007 project was drawn up as a co-work by arch. Bruschetti and arch. Doglioni.The restoration was financed with resources from Article 1, Paragraph 349, Law No. 234, 30 December 2021 (Culture Fund). The restoration site, directed by arch. Gentilini, spans over two years. Works began on the southern elevation. The treatment with a biocide product, the removal of the upper plants and biodeteriogens, the removal of the large areas of cement grouting, and the cleaning of the constituent materials allowed for an unrestricted reading of the morphological-stratigraphic characteristics of the facing, thus permitting a comparison with the data collected during the design phase. The campaign of diagnostic investigations on the mortars was also extended, using mass spectrophotometry for the dating of the calcinarols present in the ancient aerial lime mortars. With all the data collected, it was possible to proceed in the consolidation operations and in the repair of the degraded mortar joints ‘consistently’ with the construction itself.
Access status: Abierto ,
Castrum Petrae Roseti: tra opera e pensiero teorico sul valore ambientale nella tutela e conservazione del patrimonio storico fortificato
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Petracci, Anna
[ES] Conceived and built as “war machines” designed to meet the needs of defense and domination, fortified architectures were configured as engineering, purely functional ‘tools’ that, having lost their original military function, entered the system of cultural heritage not fully identified in conservation and restoration practices.Their vision changed in the 20th century, when the close interdependence of the historical-territorial investigation related to them began to become clear: in fact, it is an architectural typology that is not only functional, but that becomes the bearer of cultural and environmental values.Piero Gazzola spoke of them in this regard, defining them as “pre-existences to be understood as bearers of a value system capable of going far beyond the original motivation that determined their existence.”They are thus configured as “monuments-documents” not only because of their cultural quality, but also because of the close dialogue that binds them to the urban and landscape environment.The environmental value thus becomes a principle of definition and articulation of fortified complexes: military architecture in fact is located in specific territories, which favored defense but also attack, the domination of a territory.The theme is therefore significant precisely because of the symbiotic relationship that is generated between the orographic features and the genesis of the fortification. Castrum Petrae Roseti is a fortified architecture that fully meets the description of fortification, where the harmonious link between architecture, memory and environment is relevant. Set on a rocky promontory overlooking the sea, defending the Ionian coast in the Calabrian province of Cosenza, the territory was marked by historical-political events, most importantly by the passage of Stupor Mundi Federico II of Svevia, who around the middle of the 13th century, on the pre-existing Castrum Petrae Roseti worked on a formal completion, making it a true architectural and landscape reference, yesterday and today.
Access status: Abierto ,
The Ducal Palace in Parete (Italy): evolution of a Norman fortification Tower
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Cennamo, Claudia; Di Gennaro, Luciana; Guadagnuolo, Mariateresa; Massaro, Luigi; Frunzio, Giorgio
[EN] The Ducal Palace in Parete is a historical monument in the centre of the homonymous district in south Italy. The structure in the current configuration originates from the stratification over centuries of successive intervention. The original urban layout is Roman, and the main roads, Vittorio Emanuele II and Roma, probably overlap the ancient Cardo and Decumano. In the beginning, the human settlement was agricultural, with several farmhouses, among which was the primary structure of the Ducal Palace. During the next centuries, various dominations have succeeded. In the eleventh century, the crisis for dukedoms and historic dynasties allowed the Normans to manage their power throughout southern Italy. In this context, the foundation of the city of Aversa marked the starting point of the Normans’ military ascendancy. With the foundation of the County of Aversa, all the hamlets and villages in the area, including the Parete, fell under the direct control of the Counts of Aversa. Parete was involved in some fortification works whose function was not merely the defence of the village but was part of a broader and more complex defensive system. Thus, a networked defensive system was established, whose mainstays were towers or similar structures throughout the Aversa territory, situated between the Princedome of Capua and the Dukedome of Naples. In Parete, a fortified tower was constructed as one of the mainstays of the network. Between the 12th and 13th centuries, the tower was expanded into a house tower, which constitutes the core of the present shape of the Ducal Palace. The building has a star-shaped structure with four angular and four connecting units, masonries are in grey tuff, and the roof is in chestnut wood. The study focuses on the analysis of such a peculiar transformation from the structural point of view, highlighting on the restoration and consolidation design. So the paper, taking into account that the whole structure born from a single free tower and had to transform into a complex system, shows the manner in which the interventions allowed the recovery and the re-use of the manufact.
Access status: Abierto ,
Cinte fortificate in Calabria in età viceregnale: gli interventi demaniali tra permanenze, memorie e dismissioni
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Mussari, Bruno
[EN] Research on fortified walls is marginally attended and not very systematised. More attention is generally paid to castles, less to city walls, architecturally relevant structures for the history of fortified architecture and urban history. Such research is stimulating in the territories of the Kingdom of Naples during the Viceroyalty (1503-1707), particularly in the South and in Calabria, the field of action of a strategy based on a network of defence to protect the Crown and ‘Christendom’, where the state-owned fortified complexes, often of older origin, were in some cases updated according to the new canons dictated by experience gained in the field and sanctioned by the treaty. The research of which a first piece is presented here, concerning state-owned Calabria, is part of a PRIN 2022 PNRR - Missione 4, Componente 2, Investimento 1.1 - entitled ‘Mapping fortified cities in early modern Southern Italy. Digital tools to investigate architectural heritage', which involves the Universities of Naples, lead partner, and those of Reggio Calabria and Bari, whose objective is to map, document and make available in an increasable open-access database the results of research on fortified cities in continental southern Italy (Campania, Apulia, Basilicata and Calabria) between 1503 and 1707.
Access status: Abierto ,
Le architetture fortificate toscane della costa e dell’arcipelago del Mar Tirreno. La ‘conoscenza’ proietta il patrimonio architettonico castellano verso la ‘salvaguardia’
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Taddei, Domenico; Corazzi, Roberto; Corazzi, Barbara; Calvani, Caterina; Martini, Andrea
[ES] The research analyzes the fortified architectural heritage present on the coast and islands of Tuscany, a scientific-cultural operation that seeks to direct the valorisation, protection and recovery of the architecture and the territory. Structures that were part of the fortified system of the “Granducato di Toscana” and the “Stato dei Presidi”, an apparatus for the control of the territory resulting from the agreements between Cosimo I and Charles V in the second half of the 16th century. Knowledge of the heritage is an essential point of reference for operations to protect the areas in which these constructions exist. The study, carried out by cards, aims to demonstrate that the fortifications are still ‘alive’ and open to multiple contemporary uses. A ‘cataloging’ that has the presumption of disseminating and projecting the ‘knowledge’ of the architectural heritage towards the ‘safeguarding’ of the structures and the territory. A starting point and not an arrival point.
Access status: Abierto ,
A comparative analysis of two fortresses dating from the period of the Transition: The Castle of Levanto (La Spezia) and Forte Stella (Argentario)
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Broglia, Francesco
[EN] The aim of this paper is to compare two fortresses of the period of transition, when the use of firearms in warfare became established on the Italian peninsula after 1500 (the descent of the troops of the French king Charles VIII). The castle of Levanto is situated on a high ground and guards the harbour. Its curtains, seen in planimetry, have a "dihedral" course, designed for crossfire with arquebusiers and gunboats. The same can be said of Fort Stella, situated on the promontory of Monte Argentario, on the border between Lazio and Tuscany, dominating the bays and inlets.The analysis of the evolution of the organic military architecture with the introduction of gunpowder artillery through freehand drawing, observation and comparison, allowed to draw planimetric and volumetric diagrams of these fortresses.By relating the geometric and structural layout of these fortresses, the findings show how the progressive adaptation to the use of firearms, both siege and emplacement, was implemented in the field of coastal defence.
Access status: Abierto ,
Il sistema difensivo costiero della Sardegna dai mastros agli ingegneri militari tra fondazioni e restauri (XVI-XIX secolo)
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Billeci, Bruno
[ES] The establishment of Sardinia’s defensive system unfolded over a broad timespan, beginning in 1587 with the initiative of Philip II, King of Spain, to construct coastal towers for the Mediterranean war, marked by the creation of the Royal Administration of Towers, and concluding at the end of the 18th century with the diminishing need for defensive measures, a prelude to the definitive abolition of the Administration in 1842.In this complex and costly endeavour to control and protect the territory, the role of military engineers was pivotal from the very outset. This was exemplified by the 1577 report by military engineer Rocco Cappellino, who prepared topographical maps of Sardinia depicting 33 coastal towers. His work provided valuable insights for improving and enhancing the defensive system. Later, the engineer De Vincenti significantly contributed by proposing a new arrangement and design for the coastal towers, which became the cornerstone of the island’s defensive system. His efforts included an exploratory journey along the coastline, during which he documented the number and distribution of towers, listing 82 in total, and meticulously described their locations, conditions of preservation, and the repairs required for each.It is worth noting that for a considerable time, much of the technical work, both in the conceptual and execution phases, was carried out by ordinary master builders.The archives hold a vast collection of documents relating to the design of the towers and the planning of maintenance works. These records reveal not only the structural and typological characteristics of these architectural features but also the extent of the knowledge possessed by the workforce and military engineers. The latter, like De Vincenti, were often engaged in civil or religious projects, during which they demonstrated significant technical and formal expertise.
Access status: Abierto ,
L’opera di fortificazione de La Havana nel XVIII secolo
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Jacazzi, Danila
[EN] The military engineering in Spain, between the 16th and 18th centuries, represented a key aspect of the professional training of technicians employed by the Crown for defensive and military purposes. Over the years, the Corps of Military Engineers became the state institution with the most advanced technical and scientific expertise. During the Charles III’s reformist policy, since the second half of the 18th century, the number of engineers assigned to the colonies of Nueva España was increased. Undoubtedly, military engineering developed in Mesoamerica as a response to the Spanish Crown's concern regarding the military safeguard of the colonial territories. In the 18th century, the island of Cuba saw significant efforts to enhance its coastal defences. This defensive system was based on three structures: the fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña, initiated in 1763 and completed in 1774, which dominated the bay from the hill; the castle of Santo Domingo de Atarés, built between 1763 and 1767, which protected the shipyard in the inner bay; and the castle of El Príncipe, constructed between 1767 and 1780, which monitored the city from the east. The war with England, which reached its peak between 1762 and 1763, caused severe damage to Cuba's defensive structures. The continuous attacks by corsairs and pirates and the capture of Havana by the British highlighted the inefficiency of the coastal protection works, leading the colonial authorities to strengthen the defences with the Battery of Santa Clara, located on the Punta Brava height. Its construction was completed in 1799 by two renowned Italian engineers: Cayetano Paveto and Francesco Vanvitelli.
Access status: Abierto ,
Defensive spaces through the Ensenada Cadastre: the case of Algarrobo, Torre del Mar and Fuengirola (Málaga, Spain)
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Aguilar Cuesta, Ángel Ignacio; Yurchik, Ekaterina
[EN] The study addresses the subject of the cadastre of defensive spaces in the Cadastre of Ensenada (1749), with a particular focus on the coastal areas of Algarrobo, Torre del Mar and Fuengirola in the province of Málaga, Spain. The Cadastre, initiated during the tenure of Ferdinand VI, sought to supplant the provincial rentas with a unified contribution. In order to achieve this, it was necessary to ascertain the tax base, which would be calculated using the data obtained from the cadastral survey of the entire Crown of Castile (with the exception of the Basque Country, Navarre and the Canary Islands). However, the treatment of defensive spaces was heterogeneous due to the lack of specific regulations on how to settle them. Consequently, this study analyses these spaces in order to identify the typologies and forms in which they were annotated, to ascertain the normative interpretations made by the relevant parties and to determine why they acted differently in each case.
Access status: Abierto ,
Estructuras defensivas aisladas dibujadas en la primera mitad del siglo XVII en la parte occidental de la provincia de Jaén (España)
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) García-Pulido, Luis
[EN] Martín de Ximena Jurado was born in 1615 in the province of Jaén (Spain). He was a humanist with ecclesiastical studies who showed great interest in history and in the monuments and objects of the past, and who came to be considered one of the most authoritative historians in the ancient Kingdom of Jaén. He was a pioneer in the cartographic study of this territory, and tried to represent the defensive architecture of the region in his own particular graphic language. This is demonstrated by the vast documentation compiled in the work known as Antigüedades del Reyno de Jaén (Ms. 1180 B.N. of the Spanish National Library), an unfinished collection of drawings of various types, personal notes, and a variety of informative notes.The around thirty of Ximena Jurado’s drawings that depict fortifications of which there still remain today can be divided into three main categories: fortified towns and cities, small fortified enclosures, and isolated towers. The Islamic and Christian fortresses that he mapped were drawn with their most characteristic elements of construction, representing the idealized hypothesis of their state in the time after the Castilian conquest in the 13th century.This paper studies the sketches drawn of several isolated towers located next to religious buildings or to other fortified enclosures. To three of them Ximena Jurado dedicated an entire page each: Tower of Cazalilla, Tower of San Julián and Tower of Escañuela. He also pointed out some watchtowers linked to other fortifications. These drawings allow us to understand the evolution of these examples of medieval defensive architecture and what remains of them.
Access status: Abierto ,
Fortificare in tempo di pace. Le nuove strutture di controllo della costa toscana (1785-1793)
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Guarducci, Anna
[EN] In the second half of the 18th century, prior to the onset of the French Revolution, following detailed reconnaissance to evaluate the state of the coastal fortifications of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the construction of seven new forts was ordered at various points along the sandy coastline. This initiative also included the conversion of the abandoned Marze saltworks and the Trojan Tower into fortifications. The first of these, Forte dei Marmi, was constructed between 1785 and 1786. It featured a squat, three-storey quadrangular structure with an annexed semicircular platform on the seaward side, which served as a prototype for the remaining six forts: Cinquale, Bocca di Serchio, Marina di Bibbona, Marina di Castagneto, San Rocco (now Marina di Grosseto), and Bocca d’Ombrone.This undertaking commenced during a period of peace under the rule of Pietro Leopoldo of Habsburg-Lorraine, whose administration had adopted a strictly neutral stance. This policy led to the demobilisation of many urban and rural fortresses built by the Medici in inland Tuscany, alongside significant reductions in the size of the fleet and the army, as well as the resolution of border disputes with neighbouring states.Although the persistent, albeit diminished, threat of Barbary pirates remained, the reinforcement of the coastal defence system served additional purposes: health-related measures (primarily concerning the spread of the plague) and economic-commercial objectives, such as the enforcement of customs duties and the suppression of smuggling.By examining published studies and archival documentation, this paper aims to reconstruct the events involving Livorno governor Federigo Barbolani da Montauto and several prominent architects and engineers within the government’s circle. These individuals contributed to the drafting of projects, reports, maps, and drawings, which provide insights into the true motivations behind the strengthening of the coastal military system. These motivations encompassed not only the creation of well-armed defensive structures but also the establishment of health and customs houses.
Access status: Abierto ,
San Benedetto alla Canapina: una “chiesa-torre” come cerniera verticale tra la città vecchia e la città nuova
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Rossi, Rebecca; Bianconi, Fabio; Filippucci, Marco
[ES] St. Benedict’s former church, or the 'tower-church' as it is commonly known, has a profound architectural and symbolic connection with the Etruscan wall surrounding the Perugia acropolis. This wall penetrates the interior of the church, becoming part of the structure itself. It is probable that the church was originally constructed as an integral reinforcement of the wall structure, which was prone to frequent collapses due to the prevalence of landslides in the area. The church, which was built in accordance with Benedictine canon and exhibits Gothic architectural features, underwent numerous transformations over the centuries, as did the wall itself. Accordingly, the present study is predicated on an examination of the two elements in conjunction with one another, rather than as discrete entities. An investigation of the church's genesis cannot be dissociated from an analysis of the ancient layout on which it stands. The historical and archival information available, albeit scarce, when combined with the visual investigation of the external and internal masonry, has allowed for a historical-morphological reconstruction of the church spanning almost a millennium of history. When integrated within a digital BIM model, the same data take on new meanings, allowing geometric information to be combined with historical and documentary information.
Access status: Abierto ,
La restauración de un baluarte de artillería de los Reyes Católicos construido entre 1492-1495 sobre un puente nazarí en la Puerta del Arrabal de la Alhambra (Granada, España)
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Orihuela-Uzal, Antonio; García-Pulido, Luis; Reyes-Martínez, Antonio
[EN] The bastion of the Puerta del Arrabal is one of the six that the Catholic Monarchs ordered to be built, after their taking possession of the Alhambra in 1492, to protect the gates and other strategic places of its walled enclosure. Due to their design, they are considered to be part of the ‘transitional’ military architecture, between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Modern Age, when the development of the fortification conceived for the use of firearms began. It is located on the stream that collects the surplus from the irrigation of the Acequia Real de la Alhambra and runs parallel to the Cuesta del Rey Chico, an artificial moat that separates the enclosure of the palatine city from the almunia of the Generalife. This conditions its design, as it has to ride over the stream to be able to dominate the path in three directions and it has a three-storey tower to be able to beat the lower orchard of the Generalife from the last one.Its west façade faces the enclosure of the northern forest of the Alhambra, in a place that is difficult to access because the stream flows through a deep ravine. The fact that it was covered by ivy and thick trees has prevented over time from verifying that this entire sector was built on a large Nasrid bridge, with a previous hydraulic complex, totally unknown to historiography and preserved in good condition, which served to accelerate and economize the work in the years 1492-1495 and conditioned its design.The conservation works have been carried out in 2022-2024, applying the criteria of scientific restoration, with moderate interventions, which have reversed several negative actions carried out during the twentieth century, maintaining all the relevant historical remains, as well as its character as an old building.
Access status: Abierto ,
Evidence of the fortified system to defend the ‘Sacred’ in the ager Trebulanus. Memory, ruins and landscape in the Empiglione valley
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-09-11) Montanari, Valeria
[EN] The Passo della Fortuna, east of Tivoli, along the Via Empolitana, in the territory of the ancient Trebula Suffenas (the ager Trebulanus), has always had a strategic role in controlling transit along the Praeneste-Carsioli connection axis. During the Middle Ages, the pass fell along the border line of the areas of dominion of the Diocese of Tiburtina and the Sublacense Abbey. Between the end of the 10th and the beginning of the 11th century, near the Passo della Fortuna, on the opposite mountain slopes of the pass, the Rocca d’Elci and the Rocca Iuvencianum were built at the behest of the Sublacense Abbey. The two settlements adapted to and exploited the orographic particularities of the site, becoming symbolic and distinctive elements of the territory, also for the reference to the visual connection with the other fortifications. The current perception of this defensive system and the relationship that the structures, now in ruins or completely disappeared, have established with the landscape, are issues that must be considered in order not to lose the historical-cultural awareness and the memory evoked by the places.
Access status: Abierto ,
Geopolymers: from origins to advanced applications of sustainable and adaptive materials
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Ricciotti, Laura; Perrotta, Valeria; Lucariello, Daniele; Aversa, Raffaella
[EN] With the increasing urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, geopolymers and alkali-activated materials (AAMs) present a low-carbon alternative to traditional cement-based construction materials. The production of standard cement contributes to 5-7% of global CO₂ emissions, so finding sustainable substitutes is crucial. Geopolymers, derived from aluminosilicate sources such as fly ash and metakaolin, are created through alkaline activation, forming a stable three-dimensional structure that offers durability and resilience. Similarly, AAMs are synthesized by activating calcium-rich materials in highly alkaline conditions, forming compounds like C-S-H gels that provide structural integrity. These materials demonstrate potential in a range of construction applications, including building restoration, fire-resistant materials, and environmental remediation. Geopolymers are especially promising for cultural heritage restoration due to their ceramic-like structure, durability, and compatibility with traditional materials. Despite their benefits, challenges remain, such as controlling the setting time, ensuring consistent precursor supply, and managing their behaviour in fresh states. Standardization is progressing, with several countries developing guidelines to support their use in infrastructure projects. Overall, geopolymers and AAMs are seen as viable paths toward sustainable building practices, though further research is needed for broader application.
Access status: Abierto ,
El Castillo de Llutxent. Entre la Fortaleza y el Palacio
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) López González, María Concepción; Romaní, Conxeta; Departamento de Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica; Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería de Edificación; Centro de Investigación en Arquitectura, Patrimonio y Gestion para el desarrollo Sostenible
[EN] The Llutxent castle-palace is located in the urban area of the town of the same name, in the Albaida Valley, province of Valencia (Spain). There are news of the castle since the thirteenth century, although it may have had an Islamic origin. The castle has a square shape with a central courtyard where the cistern is located. It is flanked by four towers, also of square section, at each corner. It is a building of defensive vocation, without holes to the exterior and crenellated. However, the successive interventions in the fifteenth century, turned it into a residential palace building. The openings were decorated with ornaments belonging to the late Gothic in jambs and lintels; access to the first floor, converted into a noble floor, was raised by means of an honour staircase and its landing was carried out through a naya converted into a loggia, very much like the Mediterranean Gothic palaces. The rooms were covered with vaults and wooden beams, highlighting its new use. After passing through different owners, at the end of the nineteenth century was sold to a master builder who subdivided it into small houses, attaching others outside. The original morphology and image was thus largely destroyed. In this paper, an analysis will be made of the different elements that turned this fortress into a palace with great artistic and architectural value. The working methodology has been based on a rigorous data collection by laser scanner and a study of invariants with respect to other contemporary buildings of similar characteristics. The results obtained contribute to establishing the identity of the Gothic palaces in the Mediterranean basin.
Access status: Abierto ,
Su alcune chiese medievali inglobate in strutture fortificate. I casi di Trani, Bari e Monopoli in Puglia
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Perfido, Paolo; Rossi, Nicola; Narracci, Sebastiano
[EN] Castles often have devotional chapels or small churches for the garrison. These places of worship were an integral part of the fortresses and fulfilled the important function of spiritually supporting those who resided there. They could be small, adapted spaces or environments designed to fulfil sacred functions already in the design phase. There are many examples of this, some of great value with frescoed walls, quality architectural details and rich furnishings. This contribution aims to address a particular aspect of the relationship between places of worship and fortified architecture. That is, the cases in which pre-existing churches and monasteries, due to subsequent defensive needs, are incorporated into the walls and bastions of castles and forts, especially in the Renaissance period. Some cases present in Terra di Bari have been examined in depth which, although presenting different situations and states of conservation, are united by the loss of the original function to become an integral part of the fortified structures in which they are incorporated. The remains of four medieval churches with a contracted cross plan with dome were examined: two, dedicated to St. Anthony the Abbot, stood at the mouth of the ports of Trani and Bari and were transformed into forts in the 16th century; a third, from the 11th century, also in Bari, was incorporated into the bastion of Santa Scolastica on the extreme tip of the peninsula on which the ancient city stands; the fourth was part of the monastic complex of San Nicola de Pinna and was absorbed by the castle of Monopoli. The research involves the spatial re-proposition of the volume of the churches, their relationship with the fortified environments that incorporate them and the changes to the urban layout following these transformations.
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Il Circeo e il sistema di fortificazione di torri sul mare
(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025-04-08) Cianci, Maria; Calisi, Daniele; Colaceci, Sara; Botta, Stefano; Schiaroli, Michela
[EN] The coastal fortification system of towers in San Felice Circeo represents a significant historical and architectural heritage, bearing witness to the strategic position of the area along the Tyrrhenian coast. At the heart of this system lies the Napoleonic Fort, a defensive structure dating back to the 19th century, which still remains partially hidden within the surrounding landscape.Built during the Napoleonic era in 1806, the Napoleonic Fort was designed to defend the coastline from potential seaborne attacks. Over time, the fort has undergone several transformations and restorations, which have preserved its structural integrity, allowing visitors to closely admire this historical symbol of San Felice Circeo. However, despite its importance, the fort is currently in a deteriorating condition.This contribution delves into the study of the system of towers and batteries in the Circeo area, with a particular focus on the Napoleonic Fort. It combines the analysis of available bibliographical and iconographic sources with detailed surveying and three-dimensional reconstruction of the structure in its current state, as part of a broader research initiative by the Prin Costa|MED project. The pilot area of this research includes the Sabaudia dune and a section of the Circeo cliff. In this context, the integration of advanced digital surveying techniques, such as laser scanning and terrestrial photogrammetry, allows for a deeper investigation of the site, capturing and delivering a detailed depiction of its current condition. This model proves essential for examining the fort’s transformations and preservation in relation to its original form and also serves as a tool for potential future restoration efforts. The photorealistic replica of the site can thus be understood as a new form of archival source, capturing the structure at a specific moment in time, and becoming a tool for research, management, and dissemination of the built heritage.

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