Church and former Convent of S. Monica

Ferrara
2016 / In progress

Client: Don Cipriano Canonici Mattei Opera Foundation

Photography: binariolab archive

Render: binariolab

• Architectural design

• Structural design

• CSP - CSE

• Works Management

• Fire prevention design

• LEED Historic Building GBC Environmental Sustainability Protocol Application

Church and former of S. Monica

School Headquarters “IAL”

The S. Monica project is part of the set of interventions related to the repair of damage caused by the earthquake in May 2012.

The sixteenth-century complex, overlooking one of the secondary arteries of the Addizione Erculea, was built as a home to a high-ranking group of cloistered nuns, changing its function several times over the centuries.

Heavily damaged by the earthquake, it has been (and still is) undergoing a complex design process that aims to recover and return to the population an important testimony of Renaissance Ferrarese architecture.

This process began with the seismic improvement of the structure, passing through the conservative restoration of the historical-artistic surfaces and ending with the re-purposing of the rooms.

In agreement with the Commission, the former convent will once again house the spaces of the professional schools for cooks and hairdressers, while the church (deconsecrated a long time ago) will become a multi-purpose hall connected to the adjacent rectory, to be transformed into offices and study rooms.

The combination of research, knowledge and practical know-how has enabled a sustainable approach to restoration to be adopted (currently on paper, in the future on site), resulting in a quality certification in accordance with the principles of the GBC Historic Building Protocol, added value for intervention and a symptom of a strong focus on environmental issues.