Castle of Morella Restoration
CASTLE OF MORELLA RESTORATION
Carquero Arquitectura
ARCHITECTS
Carquero Arquitectura
LEAD ARCHITECT
Carlos Quevedo Rojas, Carlos Peinado Madueño
MANUFACTURERS
The Inox in Color, Galol, Kimia, Kimitech, Saint-Astier
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
Josep Brazo i Ramírez
CONSTRUCTION UNIT
Urcotex Inmobiliaria S.L.U.
TECHNICAL ARCHITECT
Fermín Font Mezquita
ARCHAEOLOGIST
Ramiro Pérez Millán
PROMOTER
SG del Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural de España, Dirección General de Bellas Artes
COLLABORATORS
Cristina Pérez Prado, Joaquín Martín Rizo, Alejandro Izquierdo Toscano, Gloria Rivero Lamela
YEAR
2021
LOCATION
Morella, Spain
CATEGORY
Restoration, Historic Preservation
Text description provided by architect.
The general criteria for the intervention was to restore and consolidate the existing masonry, maintaining their ruinous physiognomy, mainly in their crowns, hollows, and surfaces, avoiding reinterpretation of the original state
For the necessary added structural elements, have been used compatible materials such as lime concrete, stainless steel, and glass fiber reinforcing, with tones and textures that integrate with the rest of the interesting historical stratigraphy of the existing and discovered masonry.
In the same way, for the necessary added functional elements such as carpentry, it has been used stainless steel with titanium steam treatment, giving it a finish that integrates with the rest of the intervention.
In the area of the loopholed wall, about 70 meters long and about 14 meters high, the main work has been focused on structural consolidation, being at risk of collapse, as well as the cleaning and restoration.
Outside the walls, four buttresses have been placed, reinforcing the foundation, recovering the exported land, and sealing and consolidating cracks.
In the interior of the walls, an important volume from Carlist War period fillings has been removed because they affected structurally the wall, appearing numerous archaeological remains, deposited in the Museum of the Castle of Morella, as well as the finding of three lime ovens, leaving visible medieval rammed-earth that remained hidden.
For the collection of rainwater, the main cause of the pathologies caused in the masonry of the Castle, a system of diffuse pavements and pipes have been arranged that direct the waters to a pre-existing outdoor pool.
The access to the Sant Francesc Tower has been recovered by the execution of the roof in its wall-walks annex, its stairs, and the increase of the semi-demolished wall and the tense. All the masonry has been restored, including the ramp and its annex building.
In the area of Pardala Tower, the entire filling has been emptied to its original level to be able to waterproof and systematize the collection of water, executing his lost cover.
The exterior masonry has been restored, with curious finds such as cannonballs embedded in the Tower, or a hidden gunboat.
