A variegated embankment dam in a historical territory

摘要

A story is told of a dam completed in 1995 on a tributary of Arno River for the defence of the City of Florence, struck by the disastrous flood in 1966. The harsh conflicting dilemma between the construction requirements and the Mugello landscape integrity was composed in progress of the earth-work by a quasi-permanent “knowledge yard” searching for the continuous adjustment of the dam body to the situations prevailing in a territory rich of monuments dating back to the Medici Family under the quarrying constraints progressively imposed by local authorities. Overall safety and compliance along the inter-zone boundaries were guaranteed by suitable computations and technical precautions, in full respect of the originary design criteria. The case demonstrates that progress encourages the construction of embankment dams even in territories heavily constrained by monuments, provided the available materials entrusted with separated functions be appropriately distributed in the dam body and their safe compatibility ensured.