Collegio degli Ingegneri della Toscana
Association of Engineers of the Province of Florence

With the collaboration of:
Department of Restoration and Conservation of Structures of
Architectural Heritage
Giordano Foundation
ICOMOS Italian Committee





Aims of the conference:

The importance of Wooden Structures, the ongoing discovery and acquisition of a noteworthy array of works of carpentry which are disseminated all over the world, their general poor state of conservation, the widespread belief that “new” materials such as reinforced concrete, steel and titanium are better and more reliable than wood, alien techniques often employed to “repair”, the continuous destruction of valuable works, are just some of the reasons why an extensive review of these issues should take place. More specific motivations include the progressively growing awareness that load-bearing structures are an essential part of the monuments and very significant Heritage elements. They are the bearers of immense values such as creativity and inventiveness, and embrace the aesthetic and technological sphere as well. Furthermore, a vast number of very ancient wooden structures still perform very well.

While the principles that guide repair are similar for all the different cultures, the practice of replacement is still very widespread, especially in those areas where wood and wood craftmanship is cheap and readily available.

Today, new technologies and new materials such as Composites are employed extensively to repair ancient structures but the behavior of wood and composites, when combined, is still not fully known.

After the various international meetings on the general issue of conservation of load-bearing wood structures, after the 1999 Mexico City Document on historic wooden structures, after the Recommendations drawn up in 2003 by the International Committee ICOMOS “ISCARSAH” (International Scientific Committee for Analysis and Restoration of Structures of Architectural Heritage), the time has come to bring together all the specialists so that they may share and exchange their experiences for the purpose of engaging in a far-reaching debate on these issues.

Topics of the present Meeting are: Building Techniques, Specimen Documentation, Typical Forms of Degradation, Principles and Theory of Conservation, Security Evaluation, Propping, Repair Techniques, Calculations, Dimensioning of Consolidation Devices, and others.





Organizing bodies:

Tuscan College of Engineers, Association of Engineers of the Province of Florence, Department of Restoration and Conservation of Architectural Heritage of the University of Florence, Guglielmo Giordano Foundation.

• Economic Management and Operational Secretariat
The economic, financial and fiscal management of the Conference will be handled by Alter Ego Ing Arch S.r.L., a subsidiary Company of the Tuscan College of Engineers with which a specific convention has been stipulated.





Sponsors:
The Italian Committee of ICOMOS, the UNESCO Center of Florence, IVALSA C.N.R. (National Research Council) and other sponsors who are in the process of providing their sponsorship.




Activities:
Conference, Scientific Exhibition, Exhibit of Restoration Products and Technologies
The proceedings will be published by Nardini Editore of Florence.

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Pietro Bartolini, Marco Bartoloni, Antonio Borri, Piero Caliterna, Piero Camici, Stefano Capretti, Bruno Daddi, Paolo Del Soldato, Adamo Discepoli, Natale Gucci, Stefano Legnaioli, Claudio Messina, Francesco Paolini, Gennaro Tampone, Carla Santoni Rosi, Alessandro Serafini Sauli, Francesco Uzzani, Valerio Valeri, Lucia Bottoni, Michela Semplici.




Scientific commitee:
Gennaro Tampone, Presidente, Franco Angotti, Edoardo Baez, Michel Bonnette, Antonio Borri, Piero Caliterna, Ario Ceccotti, Massimo Corradi, Giorgio Croci, Giuseppe Cruciani Fabozzi, Michele D’Elia, Paolo Del Soldato, Marco Dezzi Bardeschi, Milos Drdacky, Francisco Gallego Roca, Anna Gambetta, Rosa Anna Genovese, Natale Gucci, Francesco Gurrieri, Jacques Heymann, Daniela Lamberini, Knut E. Larsen, Giovanni Liotta, Paulo Lourenco, Giorgio Macchi, Rowland Mainstone, Luciano Marchetti, Andrea Margaritelli, Giancarlo Martarelli, David Michelmore, Enrique Nuere Matauco, Liliana Palaja Perez, Paolo Rocchi, Mario F. Roggero, Ennio Russo Ermolli, Paolo Spinelli, Giampaolo Trotta, Andrea Vignoli, David Yeomans.




Sponsors:
Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco, LegnoDOC S.r.l., Associazione Industriali, Margaritelli, Listone Giordano.




Sede:
Florence




Date:
February 22-27, 2005




Participation requirements:
Participants wishing to present a paper during the Conference are invited to provide a short abstract of approximately 200 words by August 30, 2004 instead of the initially-indicated date of June 30.
Acceptance will be notified within September. The full papers must be received by November 30, 2004 for inclusion in the Proceedings of the Conference which will be made available for the opening of the Conference.

The final completed papers must be presented on a CD-Rom. It must contain the author’s name, qualification and if applicable, the Institution the Author belongs to, as well as the title of the paper, the text of the paper (Font: New Roman Times, type size 12) along with an indication (in the body of the text) of the position and progressive number of the illustrations, an abstract of the paper (approximately 100 words; the abstract must be in English if the paper is written in Italian or French; in Italian if the paper is written in English or French. Furthermore, it must contain bibliographical references, captions pertaining to the images, and another file with the illustrations.
The latter must also be reproducible in black and white (especially the graphs and diagrams) and must have a graphic resolution of at least 300 dpi.
The text must be articulated in chapters and paragraphs and must be edited linguistically.
A printout of the complete text must be attached.
During the Conference, the Authors will present their papers in Power Point format.




Exhibition:
During the Conference, provided there are sufficient papers, an exhibition will be set up and a space for exhibits (Power Point format) will be made available. Those who wish to make use of this opportunity, must inform the Organizers by November 2004 at Alter Ego Ing Arch s.r.l.
Via della Scala 91, 50123 FLORENCE. Tel.: +39.055.288700; Fax: + 39.055.219187
@mail: int.conference@collegioingegneri.toscana.it




Other participants:
All those wishing to take part in the Conference but who do not plan to present a paper or exhibit a “poster” are asked to inform the Organizers by November 2004.




Participation fee:
Euro 300,00 + 20% VAT for a total of Euro 360,00. This includes the Proceedings of the Conference, simultaneous translation, participation in field trips and organized luncheons.

The participation fee must be paid to the Company Alter Ego Ing Arch s.r.l. by the end of September 2004. Late payment fees will be as follows: Euro 30,00 + 20% VAT for a total of Euro 36,00 if payment is made by October 15, and Euro 50,00 + VAT for a total of Euro 60,00 if payment is made after.




Working languages:
Conference working languages are Italian, English and French. Simultaneous translations will be available.




Call for papers key deadlines:
August 30, 2004 - presentation of abstracts
September 2004 - acceptance of abstracts
November 2004 - submission of complete papers
December 2004 - acceptance of papers
November 2004 - registration of participants
November 2004 - definition of administrative details
and preliminary program of the Conference




Hotel Accommodation in Florence:
Vivahotels, as supporter of the Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation, will provide esclusively for this event a special 10% discount on the lowest rate published on its website www.vivahotels.com for the participants who will book a room in one of the following hotels in Florence:

Vivahotel Alexander Novoli****
Vivahotel Laurus al Duomo****
Vivahotel Pitti Palace al Ponte Vecchio***
Vivahotel Capitol S. Croce***
Vivahotel Fleming Novoli***

Please contact Vivahotels Reservation Centre in order to check the availability and your preferential rate to the following numbers within 10th January 2005:
telephone+39 055 294687
fax +39 055 290730
e-mail reservation@vivahotels.com

Remark: VIVACARD FRIENDS bearers are kindly requested to specify the number of their card to take advantage of the card conditions

In case you prefer 5 stars hotel accommodation, please contact World Site Hotels & Travel trough reservation@worldsitehotels.com

5 Stars Hotels
Rates Double single use Double Supplement HB
Hotel Savoy Euro 246.40 Euro 327.80
Grand Hotel Villa Medici Euro 264.00 Euro 330.00 Euro 50.00 p.p
Hotel Helvetia & Bristol Euro 323.00 Euro 347.00

application form to fill >>