The maintenance work is expected to be completed by Easter
The route of the Guided Visits is modified, and all special tours are postponed
This week, Casa Navàs has begun renovation and maintenance work on the service staircase. The work is being carried out to halt and prevent the deterioration caused mainly by damp and water seepage. The intervention will be used to reinforce a section of the ground floor ceiling, replace the existing lightning rod which has become obsolete, and repair and consolidate the interior walls and roof of the staircase. Casa Navàs’ first floor will not be accessible during the works, which is why it has been necessary to modify the route of the Guided Visits and postpone all special visits until spring.
The work on the service staircase began on Monday 17th with the installation of scaffolding on the staircase and is expected to last three months. The aim is for all the work to be completed before Easter when the most intense tourist activity begins in the city of Reus. It is important to note that a detailed report will be drawn up on the treatments, methodologies, and materials used during the works, as well as the places where they have been applied. The report will include a complete photographic report (before, during and after the intervention) and the graphic documentation of the treatments applied employing cartographies.
THE RESTORATION
Stucco and plaster walls of the service staircase
The stucco and plaster of the walls have been damaged over time due to dampness. For this reason, the original stucco surface will be cleaned with a combination of different methods depending on the different substances to be removed. Cracks and fissures will be filled by injecting hydraulic products and by using a lime and marble powder mortar. Subsequently, the restored parts and the re-plastered parts will be chromatically reintegrated with glazes made with silicate paints applied with a brush. Finally, cold wax will be applied to the entire stucco surface. The steps of the staircase will also be cleaned.
Railing and iron grating
The railing is another part of the staircase that has deteriorated over the years. During the restoration work, the rust layer will be removed mechanically in a dry manner, using hand tools and machines that act by abrasion (metal brushes, glass paper, etc.); a corrosion inhibitor product will also be applied and, finally, a protective and finishing product will be applied to the surface of the metal.
Cover
The necessary actions will be carried out to avoid water filtration inside the staircase. Water from the roof of the main building of building, which currently drains and floods the entire roof, will be channelled to one side through an internal channel. This will reduce the amount of water flowing through the roof.
The rest of the roof will also be protected with a waterproof sheet and a new layer of ceramic tiles, the same as the existing one. The central part, where the skylight is located, will be protected with laminated glass. The same action will be taken on the side roof, which has many leaks.
Lightning conductor
The existing lightning conductor and earthing wiring will be removed, as it is obsolete and dysfunctional. It will be replaced by a new one up to date with the existing regulations. It has already been calculated that the new lightning conductor can protect the existing turret and metal gazebo on the corner of the house in the future.
Electricity and lighting
The complete electrical installation of the service staircase and the appliances that use it will be carried out.
Other works
An electro-osmosis device will be installed in the basement area as a preventive conservation measure to avoid future damage caused by dampness. The existing triangular corner duct will also be used for ventilation of the basement floor. To this end, grilles will be installed in the underground sections and an extractor fan on the roof will be used to improve the air circulation in the underground levels, as well as the extraction of stale and humidity-saturated air.
CHANGES IN THE VISITS
These restoration and maintenance works will have a direct effect on visits to the Casa Navàs, as the first floor will not be accessible during the works. During this time, instead of accessing the service floor, visitors will discover all the details of the old textile shop located on the ground floor of the house. The Guided Visits from Monday to Sunday and the Vermouth Visits on Saturdays and Sundays at 12 noon and 1 p.m. will therefore be maintained.
To preserve the essence of all the visits to Casa Navàs, there will temporarily be no Dramatized Visits, Photographic Visits, or Modernist Nights. These special visits will be resumed once the works are finished, coinciding with the Easter festivities. All these activities are already scheduled, and tickets can already be purchased at www.casanavas.cat and the door of the house.