Master plan for restoration of the Cathedral of Santa María

Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, País Vasco.
Medal/Award in the category Research in the year 2002.

Dating of the building: 1994-1999.

Applicant: Juan Ignacio Lasagabaster Gómez, Santa María Cathedral Foundation.

Reason for the award :

For the application of a method of intervention in the architectural heritage focused on an integral conception of the monument as a complex system of constructive relationships of spatial and temporal nature.

  • © Fundación Catedral de Santa María
  • © Fundación Catedral de Santa María
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  • 0 T
  • © Fundación Catedral de Santa María

The Restoration Master Plan took into account from the first moment the visitability of the restoration works, exhibiting them to the public with the idea of implicating them in the conservation of their heritage.

The Cathedral in Vitoria was closed to the public in 1994. As a result of the closure, the Integral Restoration Master Plan was carried out. One of its objectives was to open the restoration works to the public. To this end, the doors were opened again in 1999 to show the public the results. Among them, the discovery of Roman archaeological remains stands out. These are many centuries older than the first urban settlements in the Basque Country capital.

The innovative restoration techniques that ultimately led to the Europa Nostra award have also been made public. One of the most outstanding is the detailed cartography of the geometry and construction of the Cathedral, using topography and 3D architectural photogrammetry. Another is the study of construction elements, which includes the analysis of stone materials, mortars, and wood, as well as their physical, chemical, and resistant characteristics and their pathologies, pollutants, plant colonization, etc.

Others awards in País Vasco: