The Glue Factories of Casolla: Archaeology of the Structures of a Proto-Industrial Bioclimatic System

Abstract

In the borough of Casolla, near Caserta, a large number of proto-industrial buildings still exist that were used for the production of animal glue between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The driers, an integral part of these structures, characterise the urban landscape, emerging with their long, high volumes from the mass of traditional buildings. The position and orientation of the driers of the glue factories (known as collére), as they can still be seen today, were chosen solely for the purpose of achieving a very specific natural regime for the internal microclimate, aimed at maximising air flow and speed in order to accelerate the glue drying process. These formal aspects have been preserved until today, despite the changes made by the owners in order to transform the old driers into modern houses. The glue factories of Casolla, with their driers, constitute a "unicum" from an architectural point of view. A partial and updated re-proposal of the ancient production processes would be unimaginable for conservative purposes, because of their harmfulness to human health and their negative impact on the surrounding environment. That is why their conservation may only take place through refunctionalisation, respecting the typological characteristics and material consistency of the old factories. This type of strategy would be particularly effective due to the specific characteristics of the driers, as it would allow these special characteristics of the cultural landscape of the Caserta area to be preserved.