See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/328172234

OUR FUTURE HERITAGE. AGEING PATTERNS OF CONTEMPORARY

CONCRETE: THE CASE STUDY OF THE JUBILEE CHURCH BY RICHARD MEIER
IN ROME

Conference Paper · October 2018

CITATIONS READS

0 227

1 author:

Luciano Cardellicchio
University of Kent
4 PUBLICATIONS   1 CITATION   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Office Buildings as Future Urban Mines View project

Our Future Heritage: conservation issues of contemporary architecture in Rome View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Luciano Cardellicchio on 09 October 2018.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 OUR FUTURE HERITAGE. AGEING PATTERNS OF
CONTEMPORARY CONCRETE: THE CASE STUDY OF
THE JUBILEE CHURCH BY RICHARD MEIER IN ROME
Luciano CARDELLICCHIO
Senior Lecturer, Leverhulme Research Fellow. University of Kent.
L.Cardellicchio@Kent.ac.uk

ABSTRACT

This study analyses the premature ageing process of the Jubilee Church in Rome by Richard
Meier. Only fourteen years after the opening, this building is affected by extensive decay of
construction materials. This study aims to map the ageing patterns of the three shells built in
reinforced concrete, investigating the relationship between decay, materials and architectural
form.

RESUMEN

Este estudio analiza el proceso de envejecimiento prematuro de la Iglesia del Jubileo en

Roma por Richard Meier. Tan solo catorce años después de la inauguración, este edificio se
ve afectado por una extensa descomposición de los materiales de construcción. Este
estudio tiene como objetivo mapear los patrones de envejecimiento de los tres caparazones
construidos en hormigón armado, investigando la relación entre la descomposición, los
materiales y la forma arquitectónica.

Keywords: Meier; Jubilee Church; Decay; Technology; Contemporary; Conservation

1. INTRODUCTION new geometrical language cope with the

A vast amount of iconic buildings
distinguished by complex geometries
have been constructed in the last two
decades in the United Kingdom,
Germany, Spain, Portugal, France and
Italy [1]. As these buildings are often
erected following customised construction
details, bespoke technical solutions, and
materials rarely tested in advance,
measuring their ageing process has
become crucial to understand how these
time. Several newspapers across Europe
have targeted the ageing process of
these iconic building reporting failures
and technical issues, in some cases after
few years from the opening of these
structures [2]. This paper stems from the
research project ‘Our Future Heritage:
conservation issues of contemporary
architecture in Rome’ funded in 2018 by
the Leverhulme Trust (UK). The overall
scope of the research project is to turn
the failures and the premature decay of

1
famous contemporary buildings
distinguished by non-standard design
solutions into learning platforms for future
generations of architects, engineers and
builders. The investigation aims therefore
to map the ageing patterns of the
experimental building solutions and
materials in relation to their forms. This
particular paper aims to map and analyse
the ageing process of the Jubilee Church
in Rome by Richard Meier [3].
After fourteen years from the opening this
building shows extensive signs of decay.
More in detail, this paper aims to assess
qualitatively the ageing pattern of the
exposed concrete used for the shells of
the building with the following scopes:
● collecting data about the design
development of this building and its
ageing process in order to understand the
causes which led to the premature decay
of the building;
● evaluating critically the outcome of the
technical development of the church by
analysing qualitatively how the technical
solutions have coped over time;
2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
During the construction process the
author of this paper visited the building
site of the case study regularly from 1999
until 2003. During these visits, the author
interviewed the professionals involved in
the technical development and
construction of the building. This direct
experience allowed the author to analyse
how the technical development of the
project was run and, in more detail, to
measure how the engineering contribution
modified the original scheme. In 2016,
2017 and 2018 the author ran a series of
2
technical surveys to map the decay of the
materials and the ageing patterns of the
building components.
3. TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT OF
THE SHELLS
The Jubilee Church was designed by
Richard Meier and was completed in
2003. The church was one of several
places of worship planned in the outskirts
of Rome to celebrate the Roman Catholic
Jubilee of the year 2000 with the
programme entitled ‘50 churches for
Rome 2000’. Meier's winning proposal
displayed its iconic power in three
gigantic shells on the eastern side of the
building. A the competition stage the
shells were planned to be built following
the same construction detail used for the
curved walls in the MACBA in Barcelona
or for the High Museum in Atlanta. This
typical approach imagined the shells with
a composite solution where steel frame
curved ribs were clad with precast
concrete panels, 12.5 cm thick both on
the inside and on the outside of each
shell. The panels were to be plastered
and painted in white to accomplish the
finish desired by the architect [4]. After
being awarded, the project was analysed
by the client's technical advisors. For the
structural appraisal of the proposal, the
Vicariate's technical consultants were
Antonio Micheletti, Professor of Structural
Engineering at the University of Rome ‘La
Sapienza’ and former apprentice of Pier
Luigi Nervi, and Ignazio Breccia
Fratadocchi, supervisor at the technical
building department of the Vicariate.
During the first steps of the technical
development of this building, the
Italcementi Group, international leaders in
concrete manufacturing, made the offer to
the Vatican to be the supplier of the
concrete. This generous offer drove a
substantial change in the project's
development. On the one hand, the
Italcementi pushed the idea of having the
shells built in exposed concrete to
maximise the visual impact of their
sponsorship; but on the other hand,
Richard Meier was reluctant to abandon
the previous solution as he was
concerned about the finish that the
exposed concrete would have, both in
terms of candour, visual solidity and the
smoothness of the surface. After the
evaluation of the Vicariate's advisors and
the sponsorship of Italcementi, the
technical team was appointed as follows:
Michetti was put in charge of the final
structural design, whilst Italcementi
became the technical advisor appointed
for the technical development of the
scheme. Following this arrangement, the
engineer Gennaro Guala, director of the
Technical Centre of Italcementi Group
developed the solutions for the
construction process of the shells [5]. The
request of long-durability coming from the
client, together with the sponsorship of
Italcementi required a change in the
material of the building, which had to be
built in white exposed precast concrete
blocks. Nowadays, many decay
pathologies are affecting the building. The
most severe ones are:
● Extensive rusting on steel
components on the connections of the
truss supporting the roof;
● Extensive rusting on steel beams
supporting the north-facing balconies;
● Three glazing panels of the canopy
out off their position.
● One broken glass panel on the roof;
● Localised plaster detachment in
several areas of the Parish house;
● Localised crumbling plaster and
3
moulds due to water damage;
However, the ageing process of the
concrete shells is the main focus of this
paper.
4. TESTING A NEW MATERIAL: TX
MILLENIUM CEMENT
According to the literature on the
technical development of the building, to
convince the architect to expose the
concrete surface without relying on
stucco, Italcementi tested a new
whitening mix of concrete (latterly named
TX millennium cement). The mix was
added to Carrara marble powder and
titanium dioxide to whiten the cement. TX
Millennium cement is formulated with
photocatalytic properties to deliver self-
cleaning power. Self-cleaning occurs
when sun rays activate a photocatalytic
reaction within the concrete.
As a result, organic pollutants that settle
on the surface of the concrete are
decomposed into oxygen, water, and
carbon dioxide. Titanium dioxide is well-
known as a pigment for use in paint and
coatings to obtain a ‘perfect white’, but
this was the first time it was mixed with
cement [6]. It was claimed that, with its
photocatalytic actions the titanium dioxide
could cause the oxidation of the organic
particles within the smog which causes
sediment on the building's surface [7].
Enrico Borgarello, director of research
and development for Italcementi, claimed
that, in this way, the cement would
destroy air pollution and therefore the
shells could keep their brightness for
longer. It is extremely important to note
that the Jubilee Church was the first
project where this new cement was ever
used. This was possible as Italcementi

Figure 1: Richard Meier, Jubilee Church, 2002.
Current state of decay of the shells in exposed
precast reinforced concrete (2018).
acted as main sponsor for delivering the
material and the know-how in the
construction procedures. This stresses
the role of innovation within this building
process and therefore the importance of
assessing how this new material aged
over time.
5. DECAY MAPPING
Since May 2016, technical inspections
were run by the author of this paper to
measure the ageing process reinforced
concrete used for the three shells. These
three sails are elements borrowed from
spherical geometries. The convex sides
are south-facing, consequently the
4
Figure 2:map of the acid rain deposit on the
concave side of the middle-size shell.
[L.Cardellicchio]
concave side is north-facing. Due to the
architectural configurations of the church
some parts of these three curved walls
are enclosed within the building.
Therefore we can identify some areas
where the concrete mix has not been
exposed to the weathering. The decay
measurement is based on comparing the
current state of the external concrete
portions of the shells against the internal
ones. At glance, the decay evaluation
shows a dramatic difference between the
ageing pattern of the convex and the
concave side of the shells. More in detail:
The south-facing convex side is
affected by:
● Diffuse yellowing of the concrete
surface certified by colorimetric analysis;
● Dry depositions of Sulphur dioxide
(SO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx)
gathered around the joints of each
concrete blocks;
● Dusting of the surface;
● Visible superficial concrete fissuring;
● Washing-off of white pigmentation;
● Acid rain deposit localised where each
shell meets the external floor.
● Increased porosity
● Alkali-aggregate reactions
The north-facing concave side is
affected by:
● Acid rain deposit on the top course of
each shell;
The concave side of the shells has a
preserved smooth finishing with fissuring
Alkali-aggregate reactions less visible
than the convex side.
By analysing the different ageing patterns
we can affirm that the critical weather
agents affecting mainly the south-facing
side of the three shells are:
- Acid Rain
- Solar radiation
- Ice
- Temperature cycles.
6. DISCUSSION
The effect of acid rain on the monuments
in Rome is well-known [8]. Acid Rain
Effects produce a dry black deposition of
Sulphur Dioxide together with Oxides of
Nitrogen on building surfaces.
Regarding the Jubilee Church the
Figure 3: Washed pigments and acid rain
deposits at the bottom of the tallest shell
[L.Cardellicchio]
5
Figure 4: acid rain deposit where the tallest
shell meets the parvis. [L.Cardellicchio]
rainwater has a critical impact on how the
white concrete is ageing. More
specifically, the way the rain washes the
double-curved concrete surface affects
the different ageing pattern of the
material. Due to the spherical geometry,
on the convex side the rain washes the
whole surface from the top, accelerating
progressively towards the bottom of each
shell. The lowest course of blocks then is
washed with water at higher velocity. The
consequence of this is the presence of
rain deposit, moulds and washed-off
white pigmentation concentrated along
two bottom strips located where the shells
meet the ground. These effects are also
increased by water stagnation on the
external floor due to the lack of drains in
the proximity of the shells. The lack of
drains is also demonstrated by the
extensive areas of deposit throughout the
parvis. Localised blackening particles are
also visible on the wider joints between
the concrete blocks where the rain
stagnates.
On the concave side, instead, the majority
of the area is protected by the rain.
However, due to the lack of flashing, the
rain washes the top course of blocks up
to only the first joint, which acts as drip
edge deflecting the water from the rest of
the concave surface. This assumptive

Figure 5: Textures of a concrete ashlar. On the
left the south-facing side, on the right the north-
facing side [L. Cardellicchio]
behaviour is supported by the black
deposition of particles visible from the
inside of the church, dripping from the top
course of the concave side.
The way the rain washes the shell has an
impact not only on how Sulphur Dioxide
and Oxides of Nitrogen particles stick to
the concrete surface but also on how
other ageing phenomena associated to
the weathering affect the shells. For
instance, regarding the concrete dusting
and alkali-aggregate reactions the south-
6
Figure 6: Acid rain deposit on the top course of
the concave side of the tallest shell.
[L.Cardellicchio]
facing material is severely damaged
whilst the north-facing surface preserve
almost his original texture. In fact, both of
these phenomena are caused where the
concrete is washed by water.
The superficial internal cracking of
concrete mass, known as alkali-
aggregate reactions, is a result of a
chemical reaction between alkalis in the
cement and silica in the aggregates.
The alkali in the cement can react with
the active silica in the aggregates to form
a swelling gel. When this gel absorbs
water, it expands, and applies pressure to
surrounding environment which makes
the concrete crack.
Dusting has several causes but always
results when a layer of weak paste sits at
concrete’s surface. That paste has little
strength and can be readily removed from
the surface, resulting in a dusty
appearance. A possible cause for the
Jubilee Church Another cause is light
freezing at the south-surface which
absorbs more water than the north-facing
side.
Regarding the whitening properties of the
cement, after fourteen years the TX
Millennium exposed concrete has
yellowed on the south-facing side whilst it
kept the original colour on the north-
facing area and inside the church. The
south-facing area is solidly with superficial
fissuring.
Gian Luca Guerrini from Italcementi [9]
shows that, between 2003 and 2009,
Italcementi monitored the decay of the
shells’ with colorimetric measurement
based on three parameters: the
luminance, yellowness and redness. The
measurements were taken along the
bottom first and second course of ashlar
of each shell. The reports shows a
downward trend for the luminance and a
steady trend for the yellowness and
redness.
7. CONCLUSION
This paper highlighted the decay map of
the exposed concrete used for the
double-curved walls of the Jubilee Church
designed by Richard Meier. However the
whole building is affected by premature
decay. Previous studies have shown that
this is caused by a combination of the
following factors [10]:
● Design choices causing high cost of
maintenance not affordable by a parish
church located on the outskirts of Rome:
in a previous study, a cost for the
refurbishment of the external portions of
the shells has been calculated. Following
the 2017 Italian price lists for
procurement, the cost was estimated at
201,501.61 euros. This calculation has
been run by assuming that the shells
were made of standard concrete in order
to use available data regarding the
cleaning costs. The estimation doesn’t
include the cost of the provisional
elements necessary to accomplish the
task.
● Construction details not adjusted to
7
acid rain effects such as the lack of
extended flashing with drip edges;
● Engineering process focused mainly
on the non-standard elements of the
design, such as the concrete shells,
neglecting other aspect of the
construction detailing design such as the
drainage system of the church square;
● Geometrical forms designed
neglecting the impact of the weathering.
The design of the shells implies that the
convex side is exposed to the rain and
sun, whilst the concave side is protected
by both agents. We can therefore argue
that, due to the exposure of the spherical
walls, the non-standard architectural form
played a critical role in the way the
exposed concrete is ageing.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author would like to thank the
Leverhulme Trust for funding the research
fellowship based on the project ‘Our
Future Heritage’.
REFERENCES
[1] A. Gospodini, “European cities in
competition and the new ‘uses’ of
urban design”. J. Urban Design,
Vol. 7 (1), pp. 59–73, 2002.
[2] G. Quah, “Valencia to sue
Calatrava over falling masonry at
City of Arts and Sciences”,
Dezeen, 2014/01/02. (Accessed 7
February 2017).
〈https://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/
02/san tiago-calatrava-city-of-arts-
and-sciences/〉.
[3] R. Meier, Richard Meier &
Partners: Complete Works, 1963–
 2008. Taschen, London, 2008.
[4] S. Mornati, “The contribution of
Italian Engineering in the design
and construction of the Jubilee
Church by Richard Meier (1996-
2003)” in Building Histories: the
Proceedings of the Fourth Annual
Construction History Society
Conference, J. Campbell, Y. Pan,
N. Baker, M. Driver, M. Heaton, M.
Tutton, D. Yeomans, pp. 469-479,
2017.
[10] L. Cardellicchio, “On conservation
issues of contemporary
architecture: The technical design
development and the ageing
process of the Jubilee Church in
Rome by Richard Meier”, Frontiers
of Architectural Research, Vol. 7,
pp. 107–121, 2018.

[5] S. Lyall, “Using the power of divine

prefabrication. Architects: Richard
Meier & Partners”, Concrete
quarterly, vol. 207, pp. 4–6, 2004.

[6] G. Nordenson, Reading

Structures: 39 Projects and Built
Works. Lars Muller Publisher,
Zurich, 2016.

[7] C. Baglione, “Concezione

Strutturale e Costruzione Delle
Vele. Interview with Gennaro
Guala, Casabella, vol. 715, pp.
20–27, 2003.

[8] D. Camuffo. “Acid rain and

deterioration of monuments: how
old is the phenomenon?”, Atmos.
Environ. Part B. Urban Atmos. Vol.
26 (2), pp. 241–247, 1992.

[9] G.L. Guerrini, G.L.,. Case study:

the Italcementi TX ACTIVE story.
Cristal Global Conference. London
17/11/2011. (Accessed 27
February 2018).
〈http://www.cristalactiv.com/upload
s/speaker/Case_Study_The_Italce
menti_TX_Active_Story_Gian_Luc
a_Guerrini.pdf〉.

View publication stats