A case study: The evaluation of biological decay of a historical hayloft in Rendena Valley, Trento, Italy

Abstract

The paper describes the evaluation of biological decay of structural timber elements of an ancient hayloft in order to obtain a classification of decay of each timber beam preliminary to the restoration works.The building, a medieval hayloft, is an important artefact for local cultural heritage, because it represents one of the oldest evidences of the alpine vernacular architecture in the beginning of XIV century in Rendena valley, an alpine valley close to Trento (North-Eastern Italy). The building is characterised by a basement made of masonry (stone and bricks) used as a cattle shed, and two stories for hay conservation completely wooden made, up to the roof, covered with wooden shingles. The building as a whole has maintained the initial function of livestock farming until a few years ago, then the last owner sold the building to the municipality of Caderzone that decided to transform it in a museum regarding the ancient agricultural life in the valley.The analysis was performed in accordance with the Italian standard UNI 11119:2004 concerning the in situ inspection of timber structures in historical buildings.The techniques used during the analysis were: visual inspection, percussion with a hammer, resistographic drilling, measurement of wood moisture content in order to obtain detailed information on biological decay to define the wood restoration, renovation and remedial treatments.