Contenuto in:
Capitolo

The bubbles construction technique: the case study of Villa Gattini in Matera

  • Donato Festa
  • Enrico Lamacchia
  • Annalisa Mancarella

Bubble vaults are a traditional construction technique of Southern and Central-Southern Italy. Bubbles, hollow terracotta elements derived from ancient Roman olle, were used to lighten structures and improve thermal insulation. Construction involved springing points made of tuff blocks, upon which staggered rows of bubbole were laid and bonded with a mortar composed of sieved earth, slaked lime, and gypsum; stone rubble was added in the upper part to increase stability. Also employed in fortified farms (rural farm estates), such as Villa Gattini in Matera, this technique testifies to the ingenuity of historic rural architecture. Its lightness, thermal efficiency, and use of natural materials make it an example of ante litteram bio-building (sustainable building).

  • Keywords:
  • Bubbles (bubbole),
  • Construction technique,
  • Fortified farms (masserie fortificate),
  • Villa Gattini,
  • Matera,
+ Mostra di più

Donato Festa

University of Bologna, Italy

Enrico Lamacchia

University of Bologna, Italy

Annalisa Mancarella

University of Bologna, Italy

  1. Barca, Fabrizio. 2009. An Agenda for a Reformed Cohesion Policy: A Place-Based Approach to Meeting European Union Challenges and Expectations. Brussels: European Commission.
  2. Bianchi, Alessandra, and Stefania De Medici. 2023. “A Sustainable Adaptive Reuse Management Model for Disused Railway Cultural Heritage to Boost Local and Regional Competitiveness.” Sustainability 15, 6: 5127. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065127 DOI: 10.3390/su15065127
  3. Bullen, Peter A. 2007. “Adaptive Reuse and Sustainability of Commercial Buildings.” Facilities 25, 1/2: 20–31. https://doi.org/10.1108/02632770710716911 DOI: 10.1108/02632770710716911
  4. Bullen, Peter A., and Peter E. D. Love. 2011. “Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Buildings.” Structural Survey 29, 5: 411–421. https://doi.org/10.1108/02630801111182439 DOI: 10.1108/02630801111182439
  5. Community Rail Network. s.d. “The Value of Community Rail.” https://communityrail.org.uk (2026-05-27).
  6. Copus, Andrew, Francesco Mantino, and José Noguera. 2017. “Inner Peripheries: An Oxymoron or a Real Challenge for Territorial Cohesion?” Italian Journal of Planning Practice 7, 1: 24–49.
  7. Davoudi, Simin. 2003. “Polycentricity in European Spatial Planning: From an Analytical Tool to a Normative Agenda.” European Planning Studies 11, 8: 979–999. https://doi.org/10.1080/0965431032000146169 DOI: 10.1080/0965431032000146169
  8. Douglas, James. 2006. Building Adaptation. 2nd ed. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
  9. European Commission. 1999. ESDP: European Spatial Development Perspective. Towards Balanced and Sustainable Development of the Territory of the European Union. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.
  10. Ferraro, Attilio, Emanuela D’Andria, and Pierfrancesco Fiore. 2025a. “Experiences of Participatory and Shared Co-Design: The Metaplan Method for a ‘Possible City’ in Calitri (AV), Italy.” In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference of Ar.Tec. (Scientific Society of Architectural Engineering), 336–352. Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71867-0_23 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-71867-0_23
  11. Ferraro, Attilio, Emanuela D’Andria, and Pierfrancesco Fiore. 2025b. “Analysis of Adaptive Reuse Models for Abandoned Built Heritage in Small Towns of Inland Areas: Strengths, Challenges, and Opportunities.” In Imagining the Future: Designing and Building for People and the Environment, 305–327. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering 764. Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-06974-0_16 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-06974-0_16
  12. Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles. s.d. “Vías Verdes.” https://www.viasverdes.com (2026-05-27).
  13. Fundación Vía Verde de la Sierra. s.d. “The Sierra Greenway.” https://www.viasverdes.com (2026-05-27).
  14. Langston, Craig, Francis K. W. Wong, Eddie C. M. Hui, and Li-Yin Shen. 2008. “Strategic Assessment of Building Adaptive Reuse Opportunities in Hong Kong.” Building and Environment 43, 10: 1709–1718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2007.10.017 DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2007.10.017
  15. Latham, Derek. 2000. Creative Re-Use of Buildings. Shaftesbury: Donhead Publishing.
  16. OECD. 2018. Rural 3.0: A Framework for Rural Development. Paris: OECD Publishing.
  17. Pedata, Luigi, Paola Altamura, and Marco Rossi. 2024. “Turning Heritage Railway Architecture into an Infrastructure for Ecological Transition.” Sustainability 16: 1–24.
  18. Plevoets, Bie, and Koenraad Van Cleempoel. 2019. Adaptive Reuse of the Built Heritage: Concepts and Cases of an Emerging Discipline. London: Routledge.
  19. UNESCO. 2011. Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape. Paris: UNESCO.
  20. Vennbahn. s.d. “Discover the Vennbahn.” https://www.vennbahn.eu (2026-05-27).
  21. Yin, Robert K. 2018. Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods. 6th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
PDF
  • Anno di pubblicazione: 2026
  • Pagine: 1986-2007

XML
  • Anno di pubblicazione: 2026

Informazioni sul capitolo

Titolo del capitolo

The bubbles construction technique: the case study of Villa Gattini in Matera

Autori

Donato Festa, Enrico Lamacchia, Annalisa Mancarella

Lingua

Inglese

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-1113-0.86

Opera sottoposta a peer review

Anno di pubblicazione

2026

Copyright

© 2026 Author(s)

Licenza d'uso

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Licenza dei metadati

CC0 1.0

Informazioni bibliografiche

Titolo del libro

ReUso 2026 - New heritage and future strategies. Perspectives on conservation and promotion

Sottotitolo del libro

14th International Congress Barcelona-Girona, 4-7 November

Curatori

Alessandro Scarnato, Marisa García Vergara, Ángeles Layuno Rosas

Opera sottoposta a peer review

Anno di pubblicazione

2026

Copyright

© 2026 Author(s)

Licenza d'uso

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Licenza dei metadati

CC0 1.0

Editore

Firenze University Press

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-1113-0

eISBN (pdf)

979-12-215-1113-0

eISBN (xml)

979-12-215-1112-3

Collana

ReUso

0

Download dei libri

0

Visualizzazioni

Salva la citazione

1.530

Libri in accesso aperto

in catalogo

3.867

Capitoli di Libri

6.674.567

Download dei libri

6.258

Autori

da 1241 Istituzioni e centri di ricerca

di 69 Nazioni

83

scientific boards

da 417 Istituzioni e centri di ricerca

di 46 Nazioni

1.439

I referee

da 400 Istituzioni e centri di ricerca

di 41 Nazioni