Gaetano Cima e il Pantheon di Guasila. La diagnostica applicata all’architettura = Gaetano Cima and his Pantheon in Guasila. Diagnostics applied to architecture

Between 1839 and 1849, the architect Gaetano Cima designed a very interesting neoclassical church in Guasila (CA). Since its construction, this monument, characterised by a central plan and covered by a painted dome wide about 20 meters, has shown some problems concerning the quality of the building materials, the technical skills of the builders and the economic savings made during the building site. All these issues are probably the origin of the state of decay that is still interesting the life of this fabric and the several restorations works consequently carried out. After a first report that in 1897 pointed out the presence of structural cracks, around twelve interventions of consolidation and restoration were designed during the twentieth century. In general, these were focused on solving the two main concerns: the structural lesions widely diffused in all the structures and the infiltration of rainwater from the roof. Materials, techniques and methods of intervention adopted during this period, reflect the development of knowledge and skills: for instance, concrete mortars and plasters recommended by the Superintendent in 1897, were replaced by products based on epoxy resins, to reconsider lime mortars only in recent years. Unfortunately, despite these interventions, the church is still suffering of the same original problems. The campaign of studies and investigations here presented, has been recently carried out by an interdisciplinary research team of the DICAAR in order to improve the knowledge of the monument and of its structures. In detail, this is consisted in historical-critical analysis, geomatics survey based on laser scanning techniques, structural surveys supported by endoscopic and thermographic investigations on masonries, characterization of natural and artificial materials, geognostic and geotechnical surveys, geophysical surveys with georadar and structural analysis and static assessment of the whole monument.