Restoration and seismic improvement of the Ducal

Palace, Urbino (Italy), 2001-2006

Detailed structural design for static consolidation and consulting

in supervision of works
Total construction cost: 7,8 millions

Built by order of Duke Federico da Montefeltro during the 15th centu-

ry, thanks to the work of three architects Maso di Bartolomeo, Luciano
Laurana and Francesco di Giorgio Martini the Palace became one of the
most important buildings of the Renaissance. In the 16th century, pas-
sing the Duchy under the Della Rovere family, the palace was subject to
extensions and changes. After annexation of the Duchy by the Holy See,
in 1631, the Palace underwent a slow process of dispossession and de-
gradation, which lasted for centuries. In 1912 the Palace was set up within
the Marche National Gallery.
The structure is made of brickwork walls; many of the rooms have vaulted
ceilings made of masonry or wattle and plaster surfaces over bearing
wooden ribs; the coverage has a wooden structure.
The project involved consolidation considering the actual situation of the
structures, which showed signs due to the age and to the succession of
several earthquakes, in addition to static problems caused by the ho-
rizontal action of vaults or by the soil subsidence under highly loaded
foundation areas, given the buildings height. To improve the seismic be-
havior of the Palace, the project introduced bracing systems at the level
of the roof structures and integrating the existing system of rods with new
stainless steel elements.
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