Il mattone cuneiforme maiolicato.Procedure algoritmico-parametriche digitali come strumento di indagine e progettazione: dall'architettura storica all'innovazione del design

The study focuses on the cuneiform in majolica brick that has been widespread in Sicily since the16th century for the construction of spires and domes. A unifying element that has constituted a particularidentity contribution to the island’s brick tradition; an original solution able to combine aestheticswith structural and durability. On the basis of more than a hundred examined cases, the differentgeometrical-formal peculiarities detected in relation to the characteristics of the shell are described.Some analyses and checks of the traditional geometrical composition patterns of the wall facade arereported. Through the definition of digital tools of algorithmic-parametric design, new configurationsof masonry texture on surfaces with variable curvature are proposed for a contemporary re-propositionof the building component with last-generation materials and techniques.