Matrera Castle: A Testament to Timeless Design

Carlos Quevedo Rojas' Award-Winning Restoration of a Historical Landmark

The project's inspiration stemmed from a desire to reflect the castle's past and origin, rather than projecting an image of the future. Rojas aimed to unify the restoration process, steering clear of creating a false historical monument or erasing traces of time. The project was about recognizing the monument's physical consistency, aesthetic, and historical polarity, and transmitting these aspects to future generations.

What sets this restoration apart is its approach to structural consolidation. The project focused on differentiating the additions from the original structure, avoiding mimetic reconstructions prohibited by law, and recovering the volume and tonality that the tower originally had as a landscape icon. The result is a harmonious blend of old and new, a testament to the castle's enduring presence and significance.

The realization of the design was a meticulous process, involving extensive historical, constructive, functional, structural, and pathological analyses. The project also benefited from archaeological supervision, which led to new discoveries that helped recover part of the monument's interesting history. The collapsed limestone was reused for buttresses and reinforcements, and the top was executed to consolidate the slender wall that remained after the collapse.

The technical specifications of the design involved a practical intervention of movable heritage. Its historical value was enhanced by facing its original volume using a continuous coating of lime mortar similar to the one which originally covered it. This allowed for a reading of the architecturally recessed unit. The upper casing defined its construction phases, enhancing the original battlements shots that were hidden behind their stratigraphic superposition.

The project was not without its challenges. Cultural models and emblems of cities and territories have suffered due to the economic crisis, leading to a lack of economic interest in their maintenance. However, Rojas and his team overcame these hurdles, demonstrating the power of design in preserving and enhancing cultural heritage.

In conclusion, the restoration of Matrera Castle is a testament to the power of design in preserving and enhancing cultural heritage. It is a project that reflects the castle's past and origin, while also ensuring its future. The project, which won the Golden A' Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design Award in 2017, is a testament to the power of design in preserving and enhancing cultural heritage.