October 15, 2019
Historical grace… and paperwork
We have been enjoying the work of selecting flooring and lighting for our updated classrooms. These features of course must be complementary to the existing design (e.g., marble doorways) and decorative features, as well as to the historical grace of the building. They also need to stand up to heavy use by our study abroad students and other visitors.
The next steps for us are very paperwork heavy! We are submitting designs for the 3rd floor work to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage for approval, as all plans must maintain the history and prestige of the building. And finally, our fire safety consultant will be submitting our fire safety plans to the local fire department next week to ensure that all plans meet or exceed fire safety regulations.
Beyond the scope of the UW renovation project, but certainly impacting our space and the palazzo overall of course, the building owners have just completed some work on the facade of the Pio. The scaffolding has come down, and the façade facing Campo de’ Fiori is now a beautiful light brown stucco contrasted against marble inlay. Here’s a picture so that you can see what it looks like. We hope you can come and see it in person soon!