When Preservation Meets a 20th-Century Building with Curtain Wall. The Case of the Torre Galfa in Milan

Abstract

This paper deals with the issue of preserving 1950 and 1960s curtain-walls, by improving their performances according to the current needs. The focus is on the case of modern buildings that have already been recognized as architectural masterpieces but not yet listed. More specifically, the authors ask whether these façades are likely to be kept in use on the basis of a multi-criteria cost-benefit assessment, where the conservation issue is only one of the items to be taken into consideration.

After an overview of the international literature, the paper presents the results obtained by analysing the curtain wall of 1950s tall and unlisted building. Conservation, safety and energy efficiency were assessed by using the same methodology already developed in the preservation of historic windows and employed with success even to the preservation of curtain walls belonging to heritage buildings. 

The results prove how a in-depth analysis is crucial to wisely choose among different strategies, in terms of both sustainability and cost-benefit assessment. Considering the relevance of these kind of interventions within the building construction sector, and the high number of technical and social issues involved, the conclusions underline the opportunity to face this field of investigation in an even more interdisciplinary way.