The vernacular earthen architecture near Turin (Piedmont, Italy)

Piedmont and Sardinia are the regions which have the richest collections of historical and architectural earthen heritage in Italy. The present work is a contribution to the knowledge of the rich earthen heritage that can be found in the Piedmont region and, in particular, in the province of Turin. The research aims therefore to deepen the knowledge of the earthen buildings present in different areas of the province of Turin, examining types, construction techniques and analysing the characteristics and performance of the constitutive materials through in situ tests (rebound test, water absorption test), characterization of the earth of bricks and mortars (XRD, particle size distribution) and identification of possible additives. This type of research will be useful to promote again the use in the Turin area of these construction techniques, evidence of skills and abilities of people to take advantage of the local environmental resources. © 2015 Taylor & Francis Group.