Historical Heritage

Client: Belo Horizonte City Hall (SUDECAP) – Belo Horizonte/MG

Activities: Restoration and rehabilitation project of Pampulha Church.

Year: 2004.

Description: São Francisco de Assis Church is a historic monument that brings together the geniuses of the architect Oscar Niemeyer, the landscape artist Burle Marx and the painter Cândido Portinari, being a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Since its opening in 1945, the roof’s shell had structural problems, and interventions had been unsuccessful. Recuperação Engenharia was contracted to carry out various tests and studies to diagnose the causes of the problems and to prepair a rehabilitation and restoration project. Several investigations were carried out to characterize the materials used and evaluate the structural behavior, using numerical modeling, field and laboratory tests and monitoring with electronic extensometry. The results recommended the opening of new joints, the removal and resettlement of the entire external finishing, in addition to waterproofing of the concrete shell.

Client: Ribeirão Preto Archdiocese – Ribeirão Preto/SP.

Activities: Dynamic monitoring and intervention recommendations at the Metropolitan Cathedral of São Sebastião.

Year: 2016 – 2017

Description: The Metropolitan Cathedral of Ribeirão Preto had cracks in its structure. Recuperação Engenharia was contracted to carry out an investigative study on the origin of the problems, including the mapping of anomalies and dynamic monitoring to measure the vibrations acting on the site, by installing accelerometers in the structure. The results showed that the vibrations caused by the passage of heavy traffic in the surrondings of the church were the main cause of the appearance of anomalies. Finally, the study of numerical modeling of the three-dimensional model provided the parameters for detailing the necessary interventions.