EU research safeguards Assisi's basilica
In 1997 a series of earthquakes severely damaged the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, but a project funded by the European Union's Fourth Framework Programme has found a way to limit the damage in future seismic shifts. An innovative technique in the form of a custom-made shape memory alloy (SMA) device will be used to connect the tympanum wall to the roof. This is the first time that SMAs have ever been used in the field of cultural heritage structural engineering. Research has shown that structures protected with SMA devices can withstand earthquakes at least 50% stronger than if they were protected with traditional steel bars. The Istech project, supported by the Cultural Heritage area of the Environment and Climate research programme under FP4, was set up to develop innovative techniques for improving the stability of historic European buildings, especially those likely to be affected by earthquakes. The project decided to investigate the unusual properties of SMAs and discovered amongst other things that the super-elastic properties - which allow them to recover from large deformations - makes SMAs an ideal candidate for protecting buildings vulnerable to seismic activity. The current project is not the EU's only involvement in the restoration of the basilica in Assisi. In September, a joint conference hosted by the Commission and the Italian government discussed how this valuable cultural resource can be protected from future earthquakes, tourism and environmental damage.