Structure and architecture: the illogical results of considering them two separates entities, after the 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila

The paper examine, through a series of examples, what happened in L'Aquila after the earthquake of April 2009. The state of emergency and the immediate need of checking the buildings safeness, accomplished through the detection of “structural damage”, started a research and operational implications directed only towards structural problems, as if they could express the "full knowledge" of architectural episodes in all their distinctive features (construction history, layers, materials, degradation, etc.). The lack of understanding of historical architecture and of its value has entailed some questionable actions either in terms of ‘first emergency’ operations or of ‘safety’ operations or repair of damage.