Refurbishment: attention to detail

The old spirit …

Even in its unrefurbished state, these period flats revealed their high quality of living. This sort of building fabric requires tender love and care. Painstakingly refurbished, the period flats have become sought-after residential assets and are ready to face another era.

During the restoration, heritage curators and conservators carefully searched for original features. Originals casements were largely preserved, paint layers stripped and missing sections replaced with identical materials.Many questions needed to be answered: What material was used for the walls? How were the wooden elements finished? Are there traces of the primer still? How were the colours of the plaster ornaments harmonised? Every piece of evidence was studied before the tradesmen started their work of restoration, combining historic with contemporary elements.

Stucco was stripped down and sanded, coffered doors lieand cases were reinstated, historic fi ttings cast anew.

Top quality standards call for particularly meticulous workmanship. Ten conservators spent nearly half a year painstakingly overhauling around 640 wooden doors, refurbishing over 6.2 kilometres of stucco and rendering about 1.300 square metres of plaster. They laid new parquetry and board fl oors. Window and doors handles impossible to restore were reordered or cast anew in the same historic style.