Guggenheim Restoration Complete

Congrats to MAPEI, which recently hosted an event at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City to celebrate the completion of the building’s exterior restoration. MAPEI products were used exclusively in the repair and coating of the spiraling concrete exostructure of the famous Frank Lloyd Wright building.

“Helping to conserve the history of an architectural icon like the Guggenheim is tremendously rewarding, and we are delighted that MAPEI’s concrete restoration systems were selected for this restoration,” said Rainer Blair, MAPEI Americas president and CEO. “A unique concrete structure when it was first unveiled in 1959, the Guggenheim is now set to endure for the next 50 years.”

The MAPEI event was formatted to appeal to design professionals from the private and public sectors in the New York City area. During the first part of the afternoon, Amanda Thomas-Trienens, Senior Conservator for Integrated Conservation Resources Inc., gave an AIA/CES-approved presentation on the technical aspects of architecturally conserving a historical landmark. With graphs and photos, she demonstrated the challenges that arose and were overcome in defining the degree of deterioration in the exterior of the building, selecting the proper materials for restoration, and maintaining the aesthetic of the original finished surface.

Paul Schwartzbaum, the chief conservator and technical director of International Projects for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, discussed the relationship the foundation established with MAPEI during the course of the project.

In addition, he announced that Giorgio Squinzi, his wife Adriana Spazzoli and the MAPEI Group will be providing the funds to restore the two façades of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice next year.

“This sponsorship represents not only valuable financial support but access to MAPEI’s building products, which are acknowledged as being of the very highest quality on the market,” Schwartzbaum said.

Pasquale Zaffaroni, product manager of the MAPEI Group Building Line, closed the presentations segment of the Guggenheim event by discussing restoration projects MAPEI has participated in around the world, including the Rio Verde Viaduct in Italy, the Three Gorges Dam in China, the Storebaelt Bridge in Denmark, the historic Castle of Caen in France, the almost 2000-year-old Domus Aurea (Nero’s House) in Rome and Italy’s beloved La Scala opera house in Milan.