Reinforced Concrete and Limestone: Rebuilding a Modern Church on Gothic Ruins

The S. Domenico Church reconstruction (Cagliari, 1949-54, Arch. R. Fagnoni, Eng. E. Bianchini), almost completely destroyed by bombs in 1943, constitutes an interesting example of constructive mixture between historical structures and modern materials. A new additional church was set upon the limestone masonry ruins, after covering them with a reinforced concrete slab. The new church solved the difficult constructive problem of founding itself above fragile and damaged masonries: half-portal frames, rooted in only two points, supporting the entire vault weight of its structure. Beside the undoubted architectural result - with evident gothic echoes mindful to the ancient church - the structural system is certainly the most interesting aspect, along with its practical realization. The double curved covering, the parabolic dome, the intermediate slab and the external surface in bush-hammered concrete were really painstaking for employer and engineers, but allowed an appreciable example of reinforced concrete use in historical building.