One of the most qualified companies for the consolidation and improvement or seismic and regulatory adjustments has been operating in Emilia since 1965 and today throughout the world. This is conservative restoration that integrates advanced skills and cutting-edge technologies. Welcome to AhRCOS, where safety takes shape by combining with functionality. Giampaolo Colletti interviews Alessandro Battaglia, CEO of AhRCOS, for FARE INSIEME
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
This is the story of a manuarell. You understood correctly, in coining this term we are talking about a person who is the opposite of the much better known umarèll (with two final “l”s), which has become so common that it has also been relaunched by the prestigious Treccani encyclopedia. In this second case – that is, with the term umarèll – we are dealing with a neologism that has already entered the 2021 edition of the Zanichelli vocabulary. And now for the definition: in Bolognese it is a pensioner who wanders around, mostly with his hands behind his back, outside construction sites giving suggestions or criticising the activities carried out within. And who is the manuarell instead? Well, to explain it with detail we must start from the story of a child who grew up quickly. A very curious child. A child who peeked at the work on construction sites managed by his parents between the 90s and 95s and who tried to get busy. At the time that child was only 14 years old and it was already clear that he would have worked in those environments that give life - or bring life back - to civil or industrial buildings. That child who has become a man today is Alessandro Battaglia. Over the years Alessandro would take the helm of the family business founded in 1965 and who grew exponentially over time thanks to the consolidated experience in the recovery and conservation of buildings and monuments, operating with multiple and patented systems.
Company profile. Welcome to AhRCOS, a highly specialised company in the restoration of architectural heritage and structural consolidation of historic, productive, civil and industrial buildings, but also in new special constructions. Such a long path travelled! At the beginning of this entrepreneurial adventure, the headquarters consisted of a small warehouse with a single technician employed by the company and a few scattered workers. Today we are in the third generation and the numbers are very different. It is one of the most qualified companies for the seismic and regulatory consolidation and improvement of historical and monumental buildings in high-risk areas. AhRCOS has three main hubs in Italy, the Czech Republic and Romania and six local units located throughout Italy and abroad, in addition to a large logistics warehouse. The headquarters are in Bologna: three thousand square metres of administrative offices, laboratories and technical offices for a turnover of almost 24 million euros. «We have experienced a significant expansion in terms of turnover and staff. More than a year ago we marked the transition from the legal form of a limited liability company to that of a joint stock company», says Alessandro Battaglia, CEO of AhRCOS.
The market. The company's goal is to maintain the balance between restoration and consolidation. «In Italy there are buildings of great architectural, historical and cultural value. At the same time, we are in a territory highly subject to the action of earthquakes. The frequency and intensity of these events puts the architectural heritage in a condition of high vulnerability. It is essential to resist the stresses inflicted by an earthquake. Thus, it seems more than sensible to integrate the restoration project with seismic improvement, overcoming a distinction between restoration and consolidation, which too often considers the two interventions as alternative and not complementary.» So says Battaglia. In search of a balance between conservation and safety thanks to cutting-edge technologies. Moreover, it is a leading company also through the use of the most advanced technologies. «Knowledge of materials and of increasingly advanced consolidation technologies make restoration a significant part of one's professional DNA», Battaglia specifies. We work thanks to the technicians involved in research and development and the close collaboration with several Italian universities. The modelling takes place through the construction of a digital twin of the building to bring it to the simulation of the limit conditions, such as those caused by an earthquake. «We don't use simple software, but all the technological tools that exist. Just like a handyman would do with his toolbox from which he always draws the best possible tool», explains Battaglia. Many patents, many solutions. Worth mentioning is the patented Basaltis Ticorapsimo system for the non-invasive consolidation of historic structures. A complex term, but that is effective in use. This is an innovative method of wall consolidation that consists of stitching stone with stone. It is made with flexible elements in ground basalt stone to consolidate historic and modern walls, as well as to repair structural damage and improve connections and structural continuity between separate or damaged elements. One of the main advantages of basalt, made from stone, is its eco-sustainability with its natural and resistant composition. Among the clients are many ministries and institutions. One of the most popular special constructions? The Campus Kid in Bologna San Lazzaro designed by the archistar Mario Cucinella. Meanwhile, we look to the future with building recovery that is increasingly characterised by a greater integration between sustainability, technology and safety. And the target? To create buildings and cities on a human scale.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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