ABSTRACT
The paper illustrates an ongoing applied research on architectural structures, such as water and paper mills, that use water as their main functional component. The aim is to draw up an Atlas of architectural heritage with ancient hydraulic technologies, building techniques, and vernacular skills in the Campania Region in southern Italy. The authors assess natural and artificial components along with the buildings’ materiality and vulnerabilities. They pay special attention to ancient infrastructures and systems for channeling water from nearby watercourses—such as aqueducts or canals—as well as how the mechanical equipment of preindustrial utility buildings worked. Starting from a more general backdrop, the paper focuses on the case-study of the Valley of the Mills in Gragnano (Naples), where 13 medieval mill buildings that formed an integrated system are still preserved, although they are at high risk of destruction. The authors’ interpretation of the multiple components of this unitary heritage as a ‘monument’ in itself seeks to establish a basic framework for ongoing decision-making processes involving synergic actions aimed at the identification, preservation, and accessibility of water-related built heritage.
