Evaluating the effects of tunnel construction on monuments: The example of the Basilica di Massenzio in Rome

This paper describes some results of the studies carried out for the Basilica di Massenzio in Rome, potentially affected by the construction of the new C Line of Rome Underground. Displacement fields at foundation level were obtained from three-dimensional soil-tunnel-structure interaction analyses, that included a simplified but realistic model of the structure. The results of the study confirmed the effects of structure stiffness in reducing curvatures, differential settlements and tensile strain in the structure as compared to greenfield predictions. It was seen that the significant weight of the Basilica di Massenzio has an important effect on the settlements, that are significantly larger than those predicted from additional analyses that neglected the weight of the structure. © 2013 Taylor & Francis Group, London