Public buildings recovery, how to intervene

Public buildings recovery is an ever more frequent intervention nowadays, which must be carried out with particular attention and often respecting the pre-existing characteristics.

The non-compliance with the new parameters for energy saving, the large passage of people inside public buildings and the poor maintenance (sometimes even degradation and abandonment) of many buildings intended for public use commits building operators in projects of recovery. They must intervene in the most discreet and efficient way, always respecting the relevant architectural and cultural requirements.

Often public buildings also boast an artistic and historical value protected by the Landmark Committee. Many of them have undergone various restoration interventions over time that have led to the overlapping of styles and architectural solutions, bringing the cultural identity of the buildings to a certain confusion.

The combination of these factors makes the recovery interventions very complex both from a technical and architectural point of view.

Territorial context analysis

The analysis of the territorial context is one of the first stages of analysis performed by the designer. It revolves around the characteristics of the public building and the context in which it is inserted:

• what building is it;
• in what artistic and cultural context it is located;
• how to intervene;
• technique to use;
• what to keep;
• what to demolish;
• what to value.

This analysis aims to identify the extent of the public building recovery and to create a still broad guideline to be followed to start the work.

When the public building has historical value, this analysis takes on greater weight and becomes more complex. Therefore, experts must take into account the recovery of the building and everything surrounds it and identifies it culturally.

Particular attention must be paid to details, decorations and windows. Aesthetics and many of the new energy needs revolve around the latter. The windows give rhythm and create harmony on the façade but currently also play a much more important role in terms of usability of the building, because they depend on:

• living comfort;
• safety;
• energy efficiency.

The analysis valid for structural and masonry works must be also carried out examining doors and windows, and it is necessary to intervene in a discreet way, opting for the best solution among replacement, repair and reconstruction.

The architect restorer works in synergy with companies specialized in the window and door sector, to which he submits every single door, window, and more in detail, glass, shutters and railings, blinds and shadings, to an in-depth analysis of characteristics, state of conservation, need for restoration and type of recovery intervention.

It is very important to consider the geographical context and the territory by evaluating the seismic areas, fire risk, particular climatic or safety conditions. These considerations should lead to the assessment of the type of intervention to be carried out to protect the public building from the risks arising from the above-mentioned critical issues.

Overall, it is a search for a perfect balance among aesthetics, functionality, thermal, acoustic and safety insulation, always respecting the artistic and cultural characteristics of the public building.

Feasibility study of the project

After the analysis, the feasibility study of the project is carried out, based on some main investigations:

• knowledge of the building and its materials;
• causes and consequences of degradation;
• type of intervention.

Knowing the building in its technical aspects, the materials in which it is built, its function and the intended use helps the designer to choose the most suitable type of recovery intervention.

Understanding the causes of degradation is essential for the prevention and protection of the public building after restoration. The planning choices also depend on it. They may concern, for example, protection from water and humidity, structural recovery in masonry buildings, external cladding for insulation and the installation of thermally broken windows capable of improving the energy efficiency of the public building.

The feasibility study aims to identify possible critical aspects , main strengths of the building and to estimate the costs for recovery by paying particular attention to structural works, masonry, systems and windows, which, as we have said, play an essential role in energy efficiency.

Some examples made by Capoferri

We want to focus on the role of windows and doors as a functional and aesthetic element in the recovery of public buildings, by presenting some examples made by Capoferri.

There are many doors and windows for public buildings that our company has dealt with, always paying the utmost attention to respect the structural needs of places intended for collective use.

In some cases, high-caliber designers have asked us to create new window systems, such as, for example, the redevelopment of a historic industrial plant in Valdagno, in the province of Vicenza. Here we have introduced the new type of special steel window frames, which is perfectly integrated into the context. They preserve the original aesthetics to which we have combined high performance and functionality. With Ferrofinestra we have evoked the appearance of traditional handcrafted steel windows that were common between the nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, and we have enriched them with functional elements such as sealing, thermal and acoustic insulation, more locking points and high safety standards.

We did the same in the renovation project of the Eden Hotel, in the heart of the Villa Borghese gardens in Rome. For the panoramic outdoor and its bar and restaurant area we have created a system of motorized pivot&lift doors and windows with innovative technical characteristics. Aesthetic and design requirements are combined with extreme functionality and with the various security systems required. A water veil runs on the glazed roof to cool the room, creating a unique location overlooking the Capital.

For the San Rocco Hotel on the shores of Lake Orta, in a breathtaking natural setting, we have created special motorized openings with arched doors. The modern and functional solution is perfectly integrated into the building which retains its austerity, in full compliance with the constraints imposed by the local Superintendencies.

We carry out recovery works of public buildings abroad also. One of these is the Presidential Palace of Tbilisi, Georgia, where we intervened with windows that comply with high parameters of military protection. The recovery work involved us with over one hundred oak windows, verandas, a two-shutters door with motorized opening and oxidized bronze profiles facades. Here we have succeeded in preserving the aesthetic value of the past.

We have carried out numerous restoration and renovation interventions at national and international level, such as the Sky View of the La Cigale Hotel in Doha, the Terrace of the 2017 Triennale in Milan, Pinacoteca Agnelli in Turin, Basilica of Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, both planned by Renzo Piano, Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, the Aishti Foundation and Store Department in Beirut and many others including the UAE Pavilion designed by Norman Foster for Expo 2015 in Milan, Palazzo Anguissola Art Galleries in Milan by Michele De Lucchi, the J.P. Renzo Piano’s Morgan Library in New York and the Henry Moore Foundation in Perry Green in England.