sglt-2 br Recent work and uncertain future of the monument W

Recent work and uncertain future of the monument While the case of the Pirelli has been in favor of a successful restoration, in the that the School of Mathematics, such premises are missing although the building is by no means of minor importance. Nevertheless, in methodological and operational terms, the restoration process would set more minor problems here than in the Milanese case, which truly posed unprecedented technical and architectural issues. In addition, the building does not require any radical transformation or a thorough reinterpretation because the original building remains almost intact although hidden behind a myriad of additions. The issue here is to gradually and systematically remove each added element, achieving an act of “liberation” of the monument on critical, scientific, and philological bases. By implementing functional re-arrangement where possible and re-composition of the fragmented and disjointed spaces, it would then be possible to achieve a complete retrofit of the technical installations, which is a delicate and influential operation. The loss of the decorated glass window, which weighs as a lacuna at least under experts׳ eyes, should also be a part of the agenda. After a radical clean out of furniture scattered everywhere in the common areas as a consequence of the overcrowding of the building, the opportunity to obtain a faculty meeting room was finally considered in 2009; the sglt-2 in the number of teaching staff caused by the recent university reform (2010) was maximized. There development of the office rooms made it possible to regain the former atrium (atrio dei professori), but the idea was essentially settled based on practical room demands without much interest for the restoration of this space, which would imply the demolition of the slab added in 1954 that is today practically and economically unaffordable. Therefore, the work consisted of the simple removal of the plaster board separation placed to subdivide the space and placement of a glass sheet between the slab and the decorated window to suggest continuity with the space above and mitigate the horizontal cut from outside [Figure 14]. With much courage and minimum expenditure, the very original space created by Ponti could have been better recomposed by simply opening the third side of the room to re-establish the horizontal visual connection between the inside and outside, with the bronze statue of Sapienza (the visual focus of the entire campus) on one side and the sequence of openings that relate this space to the inner courtyard and the tower on the other side [Figure 15a and b]. Although considered a very different problem that belongs to the same context, the reparation of the roofs and skylight of the library has become a very urgent task that has been achieved according to mere pragmatic intents. Left for years without necessary maintenance, the roofs and skylight elicited attention only in extremis as water infiltrations began affecting the perimeter of the roof and skylights of the reading hall and books storage room, and as cement and glass pieces began falling down from the skylight. Although the infiltrations clearly caused by the failure of the water proof membrane underlying the pavement of the roof were serious, the problems caused by the skylight seemed much more complicated. The protective shed placed on top of the vaults of the skylight (consisting of a rudimental canopy made of iron bars and glass panels) had not functioned much. Hence, its conservation has turned out to be self-defeating because the iron supports had been placed directly onto the reinforced concrete structure of the skylight. Overtime, the oxidation of the metal poles had damaged the old structure, and streams of rust had poured on and eventually stained the glass surfaces of the skylight. In addition, the grass-house effect generated in the space between the skylight and glass panels caused excessive thermal stress and condensation to the skylight, which had begun to expel glass and cement fragments as a result of the excessive tensions along the joints between the two materials. This condition posed a serious problem in public safety because consistent pieces fell down on the tables of the reading room and upon the students. In addition, the interspace between skylight and canopy had become a shelter for birds and a perfect habitat for the growth of vegetation and biological patinas, thereby worsening the damage processes [Figure 16a and b]. Last but not least, the presence of the canopy was esthetically invasive because it drastically reduced the permeability to light of the skylight and was visible from the main street of the building. Removing the canopy was therefore necessary. However, how to ensure the protection of the old skylight from water infiltrations was unclear [Figure 17a and b].