Thetis has obtained the construction supervision of the delicate intervention for the protection of the Narthex of the Basilica of San Marco from medium-high waters.
The project to safeguard the Narthex envisages the installation of 5 valves which make it possible to disconnect the perimeter tunnel (which will also be restored) from the network and thus prevent the rising of high waters since however the same tunnel also collects part of the rainwater from the square it will be necessary to insert drainage pumps to prevent the Narthex from being flooded by rain in the event of high tides and heavy rainfall.
The installation of a control unit for the valves and pumps is foreseen in the bell tower of San Marco where the electricity supply is present. The closure systems will be managed according to tidal forecasts and a network of sensors. The system will be activated for tides between 62 cm (for lower altitudes the high water does not flow) and 88 cm (above this level the bump in the pavement in front of the Basilica is exceeded and the water enters by overlapping anyway).
The solution does not protect the narthex from tides above 88 cm, however, in terms of flooding frequency 85% of the tides are below this level. The intervention therefore makes it possible to go from 350 floods to 50 floods per year with clear benefits in terms of the conservation of the mosaics and usability of the Basilica.
Photo: Venetoinside.com
