History-Based Assessment of the Dome of the Basilica of S. Maria of Carignano in Genoa

• Published in: International journal of architectural heritage Vol. 8; no. 5; pp. 690 - 717
• Main Authors: Brencich, Antonio, Gambarotta, Luigi, Ghia, Andrea
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 03.09.2014
• Subjects: Assessments; collapse mechanism; Domes; Finite element method; Galeazzo Alessi; Genoa; Hoops; Maria; masonry dome; Mathematical models; Restoration; safety assessment; structural models
• ISSN: 1558-3058; 1558-3066
• DOI: 10.1080/15583058.2012.727063

This article discusses the assessment of the dome of the Basilica of S. Maria of Carignano in Genoa, designed by Galeazzo Alessi in the 16th century. The access to the private archive of the Sauli Family allowed a detailed history of the Basilica to be reconstructed clarifying several crucial aspects of the structure: the actual depth of the foundation system, the materials of the load bearing structure, mainly of the dome and of the drum, and the actual building sequence. The restoration works (steel hoop) carried out in the past decades, discovered by means of the historical research, are related to the severe crack pattern of the dome, which today necessitates a detailed insight into its mechanical response. It is showed that historical information is the key for understanding several issues that a "technological" engineering approach would leave unsolved. In addition, historical data are used to setup a non-linear incremental finite element model (FEM) procedure, referred to a slice (a ratio of 1/16) of the structure due to symmetry conditions, which is able, in spite of its reduced computational demand, to show that the dome response is strictly related also to the drum features, thus explaining cracking and the role of hooping stresses (and ties) in the global equilibrium. Some issues for the retrofitting of dome-like structures are discussed.