Conservation through knowledge: the case study of Parma Botanic Garden

In the restoration field it is well known that the preservation of cultural heritage stands on a deep comprehension of the architectural object, material expression of a complex system made of cultural, technological, historical, social and economic issues. The knowledge of such meaningful structures requires the identification of both typological features and peculiar characteristics, within an interactive dialogue between contributions from different disciplines. Thus, the study of existing buildings is a complex process that needs to be planned: that means conceived, organized and realized with a critical method. The paper aims to show an example of this approach by presenting the knowledge path followed for the analysis of the Botanic Garden in Parma, Italy. This green area is located in the south of the city and hosts several buildings including the school of botany and the elegant greenhouse, built at the end of the 18th century. Recently, the restoration of the architectural complex has been proposed, aiming at its valorisation. The design process was supported by the studies and the analysis of the existing buildings carried out by the research group in Restoration of the University of Parma. In the specific, the constructive phases have been investigated through historical archive researches whereas the current structural systems have been studied through the geometric survey. Moreover, in-situ inspections allowed to define materials, deepening the knowledge of structural elements and their state of conservation. Finally, the survey of the crack pattern and decay allows to highlight vulnerabilities and mechanisms of collapse. In this way, it has been possible to understand the architectural structure thanks to the comparison between all data collected. On the other hand, in order to respect the historical construction, these analyses are required to reach a satisfying level of detail with the minimum action on the material construction, preferring non-destructive investigations. This approach entails assumptions and uncertainties that could be managed thanks to a critical interpretation of the results. Thus, the case study of Parma Botanic Garden shows the importance of planning the knowledge path with awareness in order to progressively deepen the comprehension with an interactive dialogue between the architectural object and the restoration issue.