Santa Chiara Monastery

The Santa Chiara Monastery in Carpi has 15^th-Century origins, having been founded by Camilla Pio, a cousin of Alberto III Pio, Prince of Carpi, in 1490 after she became a monastic nun. The complex still includes a convent for the Poor Clares and it is a place of interest for much of the local community. Down the centuries, restorations and extensions have been carried out many times, but a major earthquake in 2012 caused direct structural damage that required more than piecemeal reparations, and so a broader architectural restoration project was entrusted to the Area Associati practice. Taking great care not to change the existing elements, the design focused on reinforcing the structure, rebuilding the walls and vaults, and replacing the woodwork under the roof.

Further work focused on the interior surfaces, the painting, the floors and the holy vessels, plus new installations were added to comply with current regulations.

The internal cloister had long been characterized by a rather run-down look, decaying first floor windows. After careful research, it was decided to replace these with new powder-coated OS2 65 galvanized steel profiles by Secco Sistemi as these faithfully create a similar effect to the original ones, but are thinner and better performing. The OS2 65 is an integrated line of thermal break profiles, accessories and seals, with frame sections of 47 mm for the side section and 62 mm for the central section, that produce the visual effect of “hiding” structural elements, so leaving the rhythm of the façade unchanged.

For the color, nut brown (RAL 8011) was chosen as it fits well with the brickwork and copper elements in the cloister. The OS2 system has 37 profiles in total, and three sub-systems, so it offers architects and designers significant freedom and flexibility, including the potential to make the façade the defining element of the structure.

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