Food processing building

Students acquire basic technical skills on framing and building components, functional and plant aspects of buildings for the agro-industry.

The constructive and functional aspects of buildings for agro-industry are addressed in order to obtain optimal conditions for agro-food production, with specific regard to the wellbeing of operators and the optimization of production processes as well as their sustainability.

The basic elements are defined for understanding how agro-industrial buildings and their functional organization contribute to the achievement of production objectives.

The course also focuses on the valorization of traditional agro-industrial buildings existing in the rural territory.

Case studies and application examples of agro-industrial buildings will be examined.

Frontal teaching, exercises, technical visits.

If teaching is given in a mixed formula or remotely, necessary changes may be introduced to what was previously stated in order to comply with the privided and reported syllabus.

Learning assessment may also be carried out on line, should the conditions require it.

As a guarantee of equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, interested students can ask for a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures, based on their specific needs and on teaching objectives of the discipline. 

It is also possible to ask the departmental contacts of CInAP (Center for Active and Participatory Integration - Services for Disabilities and/or DSAs), in the person of professor Anna De Angelis.

Principles of building technology (8 hours)

The structural problem in the agri-industrial buildings. Function and significance of the building structure. Mutual influences between the structural system and the building functional and compositional aspects. Main loads acting on the buildings. Knowledge of construction elements technology: reinforced concrete structures, steel structures, bearing masonry, foundations, slabs, roofs: Exercises: Architectural and communicative design aspects.

Graphical representation of the project (5 hours)

Methods of projection and representation: planimetry, elevation, section. Drawing sheets: formats, arrangement of graphic elements, folding. Scales of representation. Types of lines and their main uses. Dimensioning. Preliminary, definitive, and executive project. Technical reports and drawings.Exercises: examples of project drawings and reports.

Old wineries of the traditional rural architecture in Sicily (6 hours)

Definition of “rural architecture”. Main building and functional solutions for traditional wineries: area of crushing, area of fermentation, area of pressing, wine cellar. Examples of recovery and reuse of old traditional wineries. Exercises: building solutions for recovery and reuse of traditional wineries for agri-industrial buildings.

Wine cellars (8 hours)

Dimensioning, building characteristics and functional organization of modern wine cellars: conferment, crushing, pressing, vinification, storage, maturation and fining, bottling and packaging, warehouse for finished products. Exercises: examples of layouts of modern wine cellars. Dimensioning of the spaces as a function of the production necessities.

Cheese factories (7 hours)

Localization aspects. Analysis of the working cycle, the product flows and the workers paths. Distributional-functional phase: Identification and sizing of the different sectors of the building. Small cheese factories.Exercises: examples of layouts of cheese factories and small cheese factories.

Oil mills (7 hours)

Dimensioning, building characteristics and functional organization of modern oil mills: conferment, pressing and extraction, storage, packaging. Exercises: examples of modern layout of oil mills. Choice of appropriate finishing materials for the different  work environment.

Fresh-cut buildings (5 hours)

Analysis of the working cycle, the product flows and the workers paths. Identification and sizing of the building spaces: reception, processing, cold rooms, office and laboratories, packaging storage, collection and storage of products and by-products. Aspects concerning environmental sustainability. Exercises: examples of layouts of fresh-cut buildings.

Hygiene and safety (6 hours)

Building solutions and materials for the hygiene and safety in the agri-industrial buildings: height and cubature, floorings and coverings, escape routes, doors, windows, stairs, changing rooms, toilets, refectory.

Thermal comfort and indoor pollution (6 hours)

Thermal comfort. Main heat exchanges between man and environment. Thermal comfort indices. The indoor pollution: physical, chemical and microbiological.

Construction sustainability in agro-industrial buildings (7 hours)

Materials for sustainable architecture: Loam, mortars, ceramic materials. Plasters: characteristics of materials and application methods. Thermal insulation: performance requirements and methods of insulation. Breathability and thermal inertia. Animal, vegetal, and mineral insulating materials. The wood: glued laminated timber, X-LAM panels. Green roofs.

Exercises (14 hours)

Compositional and communicative aspects of the project. Dimensioning and planimetric solutions of modern wine cellars. Examinations of projects of modern wine cellars. Dimensioning and planimetric solutions of modern oil mills. Examinations of projects of modern oil mills. Relationship between landscape and agri-industrial buildings.

1) - AA.VV. “Architettura sostenibile” a cura di Luca Castelli, Manuali tecnici UTET, 2008.

2) - Allen E., "I fondamenti del costruire. I materiali, le tecniche, i metodi", McGraw Hill Italia, 1997..

3) - Barreca F. (a cura di), "Linee guida per la progettazione dei frantoi oleari", Iiriti Editore, 2011.

4) - Maines F., "Elementi per la progettazione di una cantina", Istituto agrario San Michele, 2008.

5) - Maines F.. Iiritano A., Crecente P., Centis B., "Genio rurale per gli istituti tecnici indirizzo agrario, agroalimentare e agroindustria" (pagg. 593-632), Hoepli, 2019.

6) - Rossetti M., "Cantine: tecnologia, architetture, sostenibilità", Maggioli Editore, 2011.

7) - Teaching aids provided by the lecturer

The final exam consists in a final oral test on the subjects dealt with in the course.

Verification of learning is through oral examination. Evaluation of the student's preparation will be based on the following criteria: ability to learn and level of depth of the topics covered, properties of synthesis and exposition, and ability to reason.

Verification of learning can be carried out also by telematic means if the conditions should make it necessary.

Grading is expressed in thirtieths according to the following pattern:

Ineligible

Subject knowledge and understanding: significant deficiencies, significant inaccuracies

Ability to analyze and synthesize: irrelevant, inability to synthesize

Use of references: completely inappropriate.

18-20

Subject knowledge and understanding: at threshold level, obvious imperfections

Ability to analyze and synthesize: barely sufficient ability

Use of references: barely appropriate.

21-23

Knowledge and understanding topic: routine knowledge

Ability to analyze and synthesize: is able to analyze and synthesize correctly. argues logically and coherently

Use of references: uses standard references.

24-26

Subject knowledge and understanding: good knowledge

Analysis and synthesis skills: Has good analysis and synthesis skills. topics are expressed consistently

Use of references: uses standard references.

27-29

Knowledge and understanding topic: knowledge more than good

Analytical and synthesis skills: has considerable analytical and synthesis skills

Use of references: has deepened understanding of topics.

30-30 e lode

Knowledge and understanding topic: knowledge very good

Ability to analyze and synthesize: has considerable ability to analyze and synthesize.

Describe the graphic layout of a technical paper.
What is drawing scale and what are the most commonly used scale factors for the architectural design of an agroindustrial building?
How is the dimensioning of a technical paper done?
What are the main parameters that define the microclimate inside an agroindustrial building?
How does the building influence microclimate parameters and what are the systems through which they can be controlled?
Why is microclimate control within an agroindustrial building important?
What characteristics must flooring have in order to be effectively used in an agroindustrial building?
What are the main external actions and loads against which a building structure must offer suitable mechanical resistance?
Why is it important for many of the agroindustrial buildings to properly choose the roofing system?
What structural systems are most frequently used in the roofing of large open spans?
What are bricks? From what raw material are they derived?
What is meant by double-headed brick masonry? What is meant by striped stone masonry?
What are the constituent elements of concrete? What characteristics must they have and in what proportions do they usually contribute to the making of concrete?
Can structural elements subject to bending (e.g., floor support beams) consisting solely of concrete provide adequate strength?
In reinforced concrete structural systems, what is the static role played by reinforcement and what is the role played by concrete?
From what is steel composed? How does it differ from cast iron?
What are the main advantages and disadvantages of steel in structural use for agroindustrial buildings?
How can we protect steel from corrosion and fire?
What are the main types of joins we can make between steel sections?
What considerations should be taken into account when making a locational choice for a winery?
What are the main functional zones that characterize cellars? For the purposes of their sizing, what aspects should be considered?
What are the microclimatic requirements of the different functional areas of wineries?
What features are required of the cellar to enable effective microclimate control with minimum energy expenditure?
In the processing rooms, what characteristics should the flooring have?
How should wineries be organized to accommodate cultural food and wine tourism or educational experiences?
What considerations should be taken into account for the purpose of locational choice of a dairy?
What are the main functional zones that characterize dairies?
What are the specific characteristics of a mini-farm dairy?
What are the main functional zones that characterize buildings for processing IV range products? What parameters should be considered for their sizing?
What considerations should be taken into account for the locational choice of an oil mill?
What are the main functional zones that characterize oil mills? What machinery and equipment should be arranged there?
What are the characteristics of the outdoor reception areas in oil mills?
What are the microclimatic requirements in the oil storage room? What other environmental factors need to be controlled?
How is thermal comfort assessed inside a building?
What are the main types, and their sources, of indoor pollution?
What are the technical characteristics and possible uses of earth in construction?
What are the most common structural types of wood buildings?
What is it, how is it structured, and what benefits can a green roof provide?