The 18th Century Large Construction Sites in the Forest Perspective. A Possible Envi-­ ronmental Reinterpretation of the Kingdom of Sardinia’s Architecture

The article presents a novel approach to the analysis of the construction site subject. The focus of observation shifts from the building itself to the territory from which the materials used in its construction were extracted. The objective of this research is to integrate the processes of construction with those of territory exploitation, with a view to analyzing the potential impacts of a major 18th-­century construction project on the surrounding territory. It would be of interest to ascertain the number of forests and the species of trees that were felled in order to supply the royal construction sites. What construction materials were required for a large-­scale project? What were the supply systems? Were there modifications to the natural environment? Did conflicts arise with local communities that owned the woods? The context of the study is the Kingdom of Sardinia’s Piedmont region and its capital, Turin, with a focus on the Upper Susa Valley’s woods on the border with France during the 18th century.

Keywords: Construction Site, Territory, Wood, Extractivism, 18th Century.

Martina Motta, I grandi cantieri del XVIII secolo nella prospettiva del bosco. Per una rilettura dell’architettura del Regno di Sardegna in chiave ambientale in "STORIA URBANA " 176/2023, pp 71-90, DOI: 10.3280/SU2023-176004