Monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli
Intervention: Structural reinforcement, conservation, restoration, technological and system modernisation, functional adaptation
Brisighella (Ravenna), Italy, 2010 - 2012
Purpose: Multi-functional Centre for the “Parco della Vena del Gesso” and “Museo del Territorio”
Client: Municipality of Brisighella
Dimensions: Total surface area 6.223 m2, of which 2.010 m2 is covered and and 4.213 m2 outdoors
In 2009 together with the vast orchard-garden, one of the two cloisters of the sixteenth-century Monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli was placed at the disposal of the Municipality of Brisighella, to make it into a multi-functional centre for activities linked to the “Parco della Vena del gesso romagnola” and the “Museo del territorio”.
Owing to the dimensions of the complex, the Municipality had to divide the intervention into several phases.
The objectives of the first stage, object of a competition our office won in 2010, are the restoration of the buildings and the functional reorganisation of several areas.
The conservative restoration of the historic elements was preceded by extensive testing to verify the presence of decorations under the plaster or facing.
The new functions (book-shop and cafeteria, office, washrooms and central heating station) were placed in an isolated block (facility block) and were separated from the museum itinerary in the rooms of the ancient monastery.
The new architectural elements that will be introduced differ clearly from those existing, both regarding the kind of material and how they are inserted in the context. For example, the existing staircase in cement chippings will be replaced by one made of steel and glass, with an elliptical shape; these materials will also be used for the new entrance shelter and the doors, windows and shutters of the facility block.
The part of the museum itinerary that will be completed in this stage will focus on the geological characteristics of the area and their influence on the farming and agro-alimentary products that are typical of this region.
