The challenge of preserving contemporary architecture. Experiences at the MAXXI museum in Rome

Abstract

The fate of contemporary concrete buildings has become a growing concern because of their rapid ageing. The procedures to be implemented for their material and structural preservation require a multidisciplinary approach since they are often the result of pioneering experiments and unique challenges, both morphological and technical-constructive. However, intervention procedures have to be based on a wealth of knowledge and on operational and theoretical principles, which unfortunately do not apply to the restoration of reinforced concrete. This article focuses on the experience of conservation of the MAXXI, the National Museum of the Arts of the XXI century, made by Zaha Hadid (1950-2016) in Rome, which prematurely encountered conservation problems, and on the complex maintenance work that the museum was recently subjected to.

Keywords

• contemporary architecture
• reinforced concrete
• 3d architectural survey
• zaha hadid