The structural assessment of the travertine façade of the Banco di Napoli palace in via Toledo in Naples, example of mixed concrete–steel–masonry monumental buildings of the decade 1930-1940 in Italy

In Italy, from 1930-1940, many governmental palaces were constructed, being characterized by monumental massive facades, realizing a simplified neoclassical architecture. This article deals with one such examples, the "Banco di Napoli" Palace in via Toledo in Naples (Italy). The building was designed by Marcello Piacentini, eminent architect of the fascist regime. Concrete was used as novel building material, both reinforced with metal bars or lattice structures and as block elements, settled up in masonry walls, and travertine was used as cladding, laid down with hidden metal joints and directly exposed to atmospheric agents. The present study focuses in particular on the typical monumental facade of the palace, with the purpose of investigating the cracking out-lines surveyed at the top level. The facade opus and cracking layout were accurately noticed through visual inspection and non-destructive techniques, such as endoscopy and pacometry. Thus, the structural assessment of the facade fabrics, by matching the outputs of in-situ tests, laboratory experiments and structural analysis was carried out in order to evaluate the structural safety and detect the points of weakness of the structures, leading to the identification of possible retrofitting interventions.