Restoration of the tile cladding of a post-war modernist building complex

Abstract eng:
The need for compatible mortars does not only apply to old historic masonry, but equally to more recent buildings. The COOVI/CERIA complex in Anderlecht (Brussels region) is a modernist ensemble, created by architect Antoine Courtens between 1950 and 1954. Nowadays the buildings suffer from severe damage of the tiles covering the facades, caused by several types of infiltrations. The choice of architectural details (protections, lack of dilatation joints…) and mortars in those days were the main cause of the degradations. A study and subsequent advices were carried out, based on the survey of the buildings, and based on a (mainly petrographic) study of the mortars. In this study we would like to show that a durable intervention is composed of both a materialapproach, combined with an analysis of architectural aspects of the building, and a thorough maintenance plan. The project shows that scientific approach can lead to an ideal solution for restoration problems, but that the constraints of the actual execution of the restoration works can lead to modified solutions, which are in a way compromises, but nevertheless the best solution in the given circumstances.

• Export as: BibTeX | MARC | MARCXML | DC | EndNote | NLM | RefWorks
• Add to your basket