Work has begun on the seismic consolidation of the Palazzo degli Elefanti, the town hall of Catania designed by Vaccarini in the 18th century, built during the reconstruction of the city after the devastating earthquake of 1693. The project, strongly supported by the Mayor Enrico Trantino and the Councilor Sergio Parisi, was coordinated by the director of Public Works and drawn up by municipal employees of the municipal public works directorate. Effective consolidation solutions have been designed to preserve the architectural heritage, preventing the disintegration of the walls and the separation of the facings with reinforcement systems distributed over the entire surface of the wall walls. After the completion of the structural intervention, the renovation of the façades and the restoration of the decorative apparatus are planned. Mayor Trantino and councilor Parisi carried out an inspection to verify the importance of this intervention for the safety and conservation of the historical heritage, a crucial step to protect the city from seismic risk, considering the strategic nature of the municipal building in the event of emergency. During the works, which will last a maximum of 24 months, the municipality will adopt temporary measures to ensure the continuity of municipal services.
The project received a contribution for seismic prevention with decree no. 342 of 12 June 2024 of the General Director of the Sicily Drpc. The intervention will be monitored by the Seismic Risk Service of the DRPC Sicily, constituting an example of best practice for achieving the regional seismic risk mitigation objectives. The contract, awarded to the Scancarello company of Palermo for approximately 2.41 million euros, was launched by the Trantino council, with the approval of the executive project on 18 December last. The procedure was completed in less than six months, as part of a more general plan for the consolidation and safety of public buildings.
“Another important result from the point of view of risk prevention for one of the main symbols of the city, but also from that of administrative efficiency. A merit – explained mayor Trantino and councilor Parisi – which must essentially be recognized to the technicians and to public works officials who have undertaken a new direction of travel in the name of functionality”. Last June 11, the municipal council also adopted projects for the seismic consolidation of two other municipal buildings: the former Malerba barracks, home to the municipal information systems, and the Leucatia castle. Furthermore, seismic improvement projects for numerous school buildings have already been approved and safety works will begin shortly.
