Towards the incorporation of a raised walkway at the Royal Alcazar of Seville: status and execution of the works

Abstract

The Milanese architect Vermondo Resta arrived in Seville in the 16th century and soon became the master builder for the Alcázar, in charge of all the construction works undertaken in this royal palace dating from the Middle Ages. One of the challenges he addressed was the transformation of a fragment of the 12th century wall, which had lost its defensive function, into a double-storey gallery with views over the palace gardens. It was called the Galería del Grutesco, or Grotto Gallery. At the beginning of the 21st century arose the opportunity to restore this space to the design that Resta had conceived four centuries earlier. This article discusses the need to undertake this restoration and describes the technical solution that was proposed and recently executed.

O arquitecto milanês Vermondo Resta chegou a Sevilha no século XVI e rapidamente se tornou o mestre do Alcázar, sendo o responsável por todas as obras de construção realizadas neste palácio Real datado da Idade Média. Um dos desafios que ele enfrentou foi a transformação de um troço do muro do século XII, anteriormente com função defensiva, numa galeria de dois andares, a Galería del Grutesco ou Galeria Grotto, com vista sobre os jardins do palácio. Já no início do século XXI, surgiu a oportunidade de restaurar este espaço, considerando o desenho que Resta havia concebido quatro séculos antes. Este artigo discute a necessidade de realizar este restauro e descreve a solução técnica que foi proposta e recentemente executada.