The facade Requalification of Catania Historical Centre: Materials, Buildings Elements and Urban Image

It can be easily said that many factors work together to identify historical centre. For example, socioeconomic factors that have marked out urban typology. Another kind of factors are to be seen in building materials and techniques available at the time of town settlement. These techniques conditionings make the physic consolidated image of historical centres depend: - on outer curtain of existing buildings; - on open spaces morphology, that is, on urban scenary, both spontaneous and planned; - on materials and finishes of floored surfaces; - on traditional elements of technological networks and street furniture. Plaster was once considered to be a minor importance surface and it was used just to protect masonry. Nowadays this statement is not accepted anymore. Is a matter of fact, in recent years many meetings about this component have been held and many essays have underlined the importance of plaster regarding to urban image. Besides, it seems necessary and fair to study and to protect the last traditional plasters, that is, plasters executed until the second half of the last century, when formal and constructive levelling of façades has started to come out. Building façades have to be considered as an orderly system constituted by plasters, stone components, casings and metallic elements. It is therefore clear that the knowledge of building techniques and materials is a milestone in each urban riqualification plan. About twenty years ago in Catania area was created a research unit called “Materials and building techniques of sicilian tradition”. The aim of this paper is to show the research advancement about the study of buildings façades in the Catania historical centre, in order to promote their sustainable restoration.