The heating system of the Piccole Terme in Baia: Some hypotheses

Piccole Thermae in Baia is a little jewel from the thermo-technical perspective as it is the first example of heating system based upon renewable sources of energy. Unfortunately, its thermo-technical mode of operation can only be supposed due to remains of some components. In addition, there are no reliable technical data on the installations. Probably due to the lack of an updated mapping, the studies and researches carried up until now, mainly focused on historical and archaeological issues. Consequently, this site is a challenge for HVAC engineers and researcher who approach on tiptoe to the fascinating and engaging world of the archaeology trying to transfer some knowledge to their research field. To provide useful information about the entire complex and its thermo-technical mode of operation, this paper presents a dimensioned plan of the Piccole Terme's building and the graphic outline of some of the main elements of the thermo-technical system. The implementation of the laser scanner system ZEB1 based upon the SLAM Technique and the integration with standard relief technique allowed us to reconstruct the steam duct and discover coarse errors in the positioning of some architectural elements and in the orientation of the whole site.