Pathologies of the contemporary constructions. The case study of a residential building with 36 flats at Pignola (Potenza, Italy), realized in mixed-traditional technique

The research concerns one residential building of a public housing programme, made by means of a call for bids of Potenza's IACP - Autonomous Institute for Popular Houses – held in 1984. The work, started in that year and continued until 1999, following the bankrupcy of the first firm, and the death of the owner of the second one. Because of the very irregular shape of the building that results in acute a angles to projections and many recesses, the analysis of pathologies (made by stregthened methods, stated by W086 State-of-the Art Report) identified unusual defects as well as typical phenomenons: such us spalling of concrete, cracks in many parts of non structural components made in reinforced concrete, bulges, spalling, staining and discolouration of the plasters and of the internal and external paints, caused by capillarity and by internal and/or surface condensation, especially next to thermal bridges. A very exhaustive environmental analysis on the building was made which recorded the typical exposure to wind, rain, dampness and the sun throughout the year. It was possible to evaluate performances of the building and of the dwellings, both from typological, and technical point of view, identifying that about 70% of defects were caused by design errors, about 10% were caused by constructional errors, and about 20% by maintenance errors. A range of solutions for every problem found was identified.