The Marian shrine of Barbana
Arcidiocesi di Gorizia
2018-2020 | Barbana | Italy
Project and construction supervision
with arch. Chiara Bettuzzi | per. Ind. Ivaldi Bettuzzi | geom. Raffaele Stocco | ing. Piga Raffaele | geom. Stefano Vazzoler | per.ind. Omar Masotti
Lighting design Luminum | arch. Andrea Carson
When a violent tornado hit Grado and its lagoon in 2008, the island of Barbana also suffered major damage.
Some sixty plants were uprooted and the roof of the shrine, specifically a truss, was compromised.
After getting the regional support funding, our team cooperated with the Soprintendenza ABAP to carefully put the whole structure into safety, working on the ribs, which on the one hand support the ceiling coffer, and on the other make the roof stable, together with the trusses that were partly damaged.
On this occasion, in addition to detailed engineering works to minimise new weights and at the same time ensure structural reinforcement of the existing structures (which in fact were not removed) we used the internal scaffolding to sample the surfaces and the wooden ceiling coffers.
Thanks to our careful 360-degree building site management, we were able to change the electrical power supply of the lighting in the nave, and to replace the previous lighting with new LED elements, which NOW illuminate the wooden coffers, partly covered in gold leaf.
As for the outside, the roof works included replacing the top covering by first laying waterproof insulation, as well as installing fall-prevention systems.
Our cost effective planning also allowed for the replacement of the bell tower’s lighting fixtures and its new illumination, which now makes it recognisable all throughout the Grado lagoon at night.
