Use of Traditional Materials for the Sustainable Conservation of Built Heritage: An Experience for Plastered Surfaces

The architectural surfaces, and in particular the facades of historic buildings, not only represent the border between built masses and spaces but also the interface between each building and the environment; in the physical exchange between these two elements the signs of degradation and more generally of the passage of time settle slowly. The intervention on these surfaces must therefore be carried out with critical awareness, which is based on a preliminary study. The use of mortars for plasters developed specifically, using materials available in the territory, contributes to the sustainability of the intervention. Here I propose an example in the particular context of the city of Catania, daughter of the Etna volcano; the occasion offered by a refurbishment intervention has suggested the design of a new lime-based skin with volcanic aggregates.