Complex building in Bergamo

Building use

Other

Country/Region

Italy

Overview

The building will be used as a public library and exhibition space for the for the 2024 “Bergamo and Brescia Designated European Capitals of Culture 2024”. The renovation project is worth 2,3M€ thanks to the post-covid EU Recovery Fund.

Basic information (construction date, number of stories, gross floor area, adopted design code, engineer(s), Contractor(s), etc.)

Construction date: Initial settlement of the building 1544, modified several times.
Current restoration date: 2022
Number of stories: 3
Gross floor area: 1,125m2 per floor
Adopted design code: NTC/2018
Engineer(s): Arch. Paolo Fasolato, Arch. Fabio Dalla Pozza, prof. eng. Paolo Foraboschi
Contractor(s): Ecoedile srl

Issue and/or innovation

Historically, the building had a residential use and the floor system capacity was weakened during time by the decay of the mechanical properties of the timber beams it was supported by. The new use of the building (library and exhibition space) required a bearing capacity of loads in excess of 5kN/m2, as specified by the Italian’s technical rules for constructions.

Reason for composite solution

It was necessary to increase the floor live load capacity to accommodate the new functions (library and public exhibition space) and, at the same time, to cope with the decay of the mechanical properties of the original timber beams. At the same time, the limited inter-story height and the necessity to keep the proportions of the windows opening on the façade (protected by the historic building authority) pushed for the creation of a very thin floor system, and thus a composite floor system with the concrete topping resisting the compression component and the steel beams resisting tension was sought.

Specific solution/technical details

Steel beam European section HE260A, Nelson stud shear connectors, diameter 22 mm and spacing 125 mm at the support while 280 mm around midspan. Light concrete (16.000 kNm3) thickness 120 mm plus the weight of the corrugated sheet (whose thickness was 6 mm)

Impact or effectiveness

The composite steel floor solution adopted allowed to preserve the original proportions of the historic building: height to ceiling, position and ratio of the original windows etc. It is to note the use of a composite system on a relatively small construction project, where the properties of the composite action were sought for the specific constraints imposed by the original shape of the historic building; simultaneously, it is quite unconventional to see the adoption of composite floor systems (or more in general, of heavy profiles or concrete slabs) on restoration projects of historic buildings, due to the increased weight when compared to traditional technologies they may play a negative role in seismic areas. However, the city of Bergamo is located in the 3rd level of seismicity by PCM 3274/2003, and it is thus very unlikely to be solicited by a severe earthquake. The thick load bearing masonry walls also made possible the use of a composite construction system.

References / Technical Papers Content

https://www.bergamonews.it/2022/08/09/casa-suardi-in-piazza-vecchia-al-via-il-recupero-per-capitale-della-cultura/538443/

Supplementary documents

Supplementary document - 1 Supplementary document - 2 Supplementary document - 3 Supplementary document - 4 Supplementary document - 5 Supplementary document - 6 Supplementary document - 7 Supplementary document - 8 Supplementary document - 9 Supplementary document - 10

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