European Project NANO-CATHEDRAL: Nanomaterials for conservation of European architectural heritage

Abstract

The Nano-Cathedral European Project started in June 2015, as a part of the European Union program Horizon 2020 . research program. The project aims at developing new materials, technologies and procedures for the conservation of deteriorated stone in monumental buildings, cathedrals and high value contemporary architecture, with a particular emphasis on the preservation of the original building materials and on the development of a tailor-made approach to tackle the specific issues related to the different lithotypes. Five different cathedrals have been selected as representative of both different exposure conditions and stone types: the Cathedral of Pisa in Italy; the Cathedral of Santa María in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; the Sint-Baafs Cathedral of Ghent, Belgium; the Cathedral of St. Peter and Mary in Cologne, Germany and St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria. Moreover, the Oslo Opera House was included as an example of a contemporary building coated with white Carrara marble. The European Nano-Cathedral Project has been included in the stone surfaces restoration campaign of the Cathedral of Pisa. The application of new nanotechnologies in this field will allow the further development of new products thus responding to the needs of compatibility, environmental sustainability, efficiency and effectiveness in protecting, over time, our monumental artistic heritage