Search results for "heritage"
showing 10 items of 1224 documents
Immersive Virtual Reality for Cultural Heritage Exploration
2023
Virtual Reality can provide an immersive experience that allows cultural heritage to be experienced in a more realistic and immersive way than traditional showcasing techniques. The objective of this paper is to provide a software pipeline that can be adopted for the realization of immersive experiences in cultural heritage sites. This work has been realized within the 3DLab-Sicilia project, which includes the realization of immersive virtual tours of UNESCO World Heritage sites located in the Sicily area (Italy).
A study of the acoustic parameters of ancient theaters
2013
Although many centuries have passed, in many ancient theatres evocative theatrical performances still take place, especially during summer. Greek and Latin architects care for equilibrium of proportions offers not only an intense quality of view but also a high quality acoustics. In our study we did an analysis both theoretical and experimental of the acoustic parameters of the ancient theaters of Syracuse, Segesta, and Akrai, in Sicily and the theater of Bulla Regia, in Jendouba (Tunisia), it was only simulated, because of the inability to reach the scene for reasons due to the political turmoil. A measurement session was carried out by our team in the framework of a wide research project …
Approccio integrato per la caratterizzazione delle murature storiche siciliane. Il caso di Gangi
2022
This study is part of a research aimed at developing a database of mechanical and hygrothermal information for Sicilian historic walls. This database is intended to support the analysis of the envelope performances of the historic building and to integrate data collected through in-situ measurements. The method is based on the analysis of local contexts: stone walls are divided in typologies according to the detailed non-destructive examination of the historic building stock, and laboratory and in-situ tests are carried out to characterize the mechanical and thermophysical properties of walls and masonry materials. This study focuses on the local context of Gangi, where a large amount of hi…
Experimental determination of natural air ventilation rates based on CO2 concentration
2009
This study reports the first results of a survey carried out by the authors on a hall used for conferences, training courses, seminars, and aimed to determine the correlation between the concentration of CO2 and the number of air changes only through natural ventilation. The assessment of ventilation rates was based on the knowledge of the indoor and outdoor CO2 concentrations and of the number of people in the hall. As it is known, the CO2 concentrations can be used as an index for the number of people present in a room and can be evaluated as a function of time by using the Meckler equation in steady-state conditions. In that case it is however necessary that some restrictive hypotheses a…
Ergonomics and cultural heritage: the Palatina chapel in Palermo, Italy
2007
The present article presents results of a study that aims at the assessment of ergonomic safety conditions inside the Palatina chapel of Palermo. To reach this object, an informative questionnaire was established so as to collect visitors’ subjective judgments regarding overall ergonomic conditions in terms of accessibility, availability, safety or else environmental conditions (thermo-hygrometry; air, sound and visual quality); this stage was carried out, bearing in mind the Museum Visitors’ Rights Card that is currently under creation by the "Legambiente" group. An automatic instrument was bought to daily count the numbers of visitors; the latter element shall then be related to indoor en…
Influence of application method on the use of ammonium phosphate as preservative
2018
This work deals with the application of the Ammonium Hydrogen Phosphate as preservative and consolidant during the restoration and consolidation intervention on a twin columns group in the east side of the Santa Maria La Nova Cloister in Monreale, UNESCO Heritage from 2016. The Superintendency for Fine Arts in Palermo prescribes the use of ammonium phosphate as the only acceptable material for the consolidation of the Cloister, so this work deals with the influence of application method and solution concentration on the results achievable with this material. Particularly as the treatment have to be done on vertical surfaces the use of a supporting material is mandatory so the focus is on th…
Lithium silicate admixture in mortars to be used as putty for limestone
2018
Marble is a very common material in artworks for its softness, relative isotropy and homogeneity and its characteristic waxy look that gives "life" to sculptures. Even if in geology the term "marble" refers to metamorphosed limestone, commonly the term ‘marble’ is used more broadly encompassing hard unmetamorphosed limestone that can be polished assuming a glossy aspect. In the restoration field when marble artworks have cracks that alter the smoothness of their surface, a putty is used to fill them, for both aesthetic and conservative reasons. Putties usually consist of epoxy resin mixed with marble powder. The use of a synthetic resin raises some doubts on compatibility and durability of …
The "Fossa della Garofala" in Palermo: a geological site rich in cultural heritage
2008
The Fossa della Garofala is a short, narrow valley, enclosed by sub-vertical banks, which was carved out by the Kemonia creek on the calcarenitic table that makes up the bedrock of the Plain of Palermo. It forms the outermost hem of the Conca d’Oro landscape where, set in an urban area, geologic and geomorphologic features of value join historical cultural values dating from the Punic period to the XIX century. This combination places the entire area in one of the most significant, albeit little known, pages of history: the history of traditional suburban landscape. This rare synthesis of natural and anthropic landscapes offers the opportunity to create theme itineraries of great cultural a…
“SAGOME” IN SICILY: SUBJECTS, FUNCTIONS, TECHNIQUES AND THE CASE STUDY OF NICOSIA
2016
This article analyzes the iconographic subjects, the practical functions and the compositional techniques of a particular form of artistic representation that was popular between the 18th and 19th centuries: these are the painted “sagome” (cut-outs) found in Sicily. Particular attention is paid to a series of six paintings, unknown until now, executed on shaped wooden panels and painted on both sides, which are stored in the library of the Convent of the Capuchin Friars Minor of Nicosia (Enna).
Environmental degradation of polymers for cultural heritage
2018
Plastic materials are used both for the protection of cultural heritage and as material for artworks. As for other materials, the durability and the maintenance of their initial properties are fundamental for the use of these materials. For the protection of the cultural heritage (particularly for stone artworks) the main important properties are the hydrophobicity, the UV transparency and the water vapour permeability that must be maintained even after a long exposure to the environmental conditions (UV irradiation, rain, temperature variations, etc.). When the polymers are used for the production of an artwork, the most important characteristics are the maintenance of the aesthetical appe…