Hollow clay elements of typical Calabrian tradition: typologies and construction techniques.

he “carusello”, a ceramic hollow brick, although it belongs to the hollow tiles category, is different because of its morphology and its assembly method. The kind of vaults traditionally built using “caruselli” are: barrel vaults, cross vaults, and those types of cupola vaults often detectable in spaces where there was the will to realize lightweight structures with wide spans. This work aims to give a contribution to systematize the knowledge of these kind of vaults through a close examination of the properties of the single ceramic hollow bricks, and of the structural compositions manufactured with their assembly. For this purpose a summarized diagram of the different types of “caruselli” has been arranged considering their morphology, and referring to examples found in ancient buildings still present in Calabria, in order to have a first classification to which the assembly method can be related. The assembly system is self-bearing and derives from the juxtaposition of staggered rows of “caruselli”, that are well-positioned next to each other, and with the circular base turned towards the structure intrados. The single modular elements were forged to guarantee, in their assembly, the parallel position of the vertical circular axis of symmetry to the curve generating lines of the structures. Therefore, the work shows, through graphic representation too, how this lightweight, economic and easy to achieve ceramic hollow brick, can shape elementary arches, that, if placed next to one another, set up simple and compounds vaults and domes. In order to complete the work, a mineralogical petrographic characterization of microsamples of material extracted from some “caruselli” will be carried out through specific laboratory analysis