International. The western façade of the cathedral of Ávila looks free of scaffolding, once the restoration works promoted by the Cabildo and the Santa María la Real Foundation of Historical Heritage (FSMLR) have been completed. Along with the restoration of the façade, the installation in the cathedral of the Smart Heritage technological solution, developed by FSMLR and Telefónica, has been facilitated.
Specifically, 15 control points have been enabled to measure aspects such as temperature, humidity or luminosity and wireless sensors have been placed both inside the seo, as in the cloister and in certain areas of the western façade.
The objective of the monitoring will be to collect objective data that serve both the technicians and the Cathedral Cabildo to control the evolution of the actions carried out and the behavior of the building facilitating a better characterization and understanding of the space.
The works began with the cleaning, replacement and reintegration of the battered stone of the façade. At the same time, the master stonemason Rodrigo de la Torre, was rebuilding the openwork tympanum, designed by Juan Guas, which was covered and mutilated during the reform of the eighteenth century and that today, thanks to the restoration project, is visible again.
In order for the cover to recover all its value, the main wooden door has been cleaned and the windbreaker inside has been modified. Although, without a doubt, the aspect in which greater emphasis has been placed is to curb the main problem that affected the space: humidity and leaks. For this, water pours have been designed and access to the terrace has been recovered, waterproofing it and allowing better maintenance.
