Structural Behaviour Assessment of the Anastylosis Reconstruction of the Ruins of Kfar Synagogue in Bar’am (Israel)

The ruins of the Kfar synagogue are located inside Bar’am National Park, in Northern Israel, near the Lebanon border, once part of an ancient Jewish village inhabited from 200 B.C. to Middle Age. The synagogue dates back to the 3rd century A.D. and was built using stones elements from pre-existing Roman-Byzantine public buildings. The building was heavily damaged by the Galilee Earthquake in 1837, which caused the collapse of the roof and part of walls and columns. Nowadays the ruins include 4 columns of the front porch, the main façade complete up to the second floor and part of inner walls and columns, while the entablature is almost completely collapsed.Considering the important historical value of the entablature - a unique example in Israel - the Bar’am National Park Authority decided to start historical, architectural, and structural studies with the aim of restoring its remains, planning to reconstruct the ancient front porch by anastylosis. The structural behavior of the remains has been analyzed through the Distinct Element Method (DEM), introducing the anastylosis reconstruction of the entablature to predict the seismic response of resulting structure. The stone elements have been modelled through rigid blocks and non-linear deformable interfaces; dynamic analysis has been performed based on local standard spectrum and accelerograms compatible with the seismological history and site soil condition.DEM simulation allowed to evaluate the seismic behavior of the reconstructed configuration, evaluating the opportunity of i) using monolithic or multi-drum new columns for the bearing of reconstructed entablature and ii) introducing connections between stone elements, addressing the design phase.