Former Hospital - Exterior, Sforza Castle in Milan

Piazza Castello 20121 Milano

Opening hours (Mon-Sun): 07.00/18.00 (winter time) 07.00/19.00 (summer time) Free admission (excluding the Castle Museum).

Phone: 02 88463700 www.milanocastello.it

Preliminary project of the restoration of the façades and exterior spaces of the former Hospital (Curtain of Santo Spirito) and re-roofing

The lack of copper strips closing the layers, the absence of sheaths or undulated undertiles, underground traffic conditions that disconnected the mantle, allowed infiltration and washouts in the façade. The loss of efficiency of gutters and of drainpipes has worsened the situation by conveying salts and displacing the plaster in several points , already very fragile. The composition of the decorated plaster determined the degradation of the surface of the support wall. An extremely delicate action to reduce salts and re-adhesion of the plaster to support will be therefore necessary, in order to proceed to the decorative integrations, possible, that will have to exclude any inventive intervention, given the “serial” nature of the decorations. The re-roofing will then protect the underlying façade.

By Carlo Catacchio