The context and the needs of the client
Located in the Cannaregio district, in the Campo dei Gesuiti, near Fondamenta Nuove, the church of Santa Maria Assunta was built for the first time in 1148 by the hospital order of the Cruciferi. After countless and unfortunate vicissitudes, Venice ceded it to the Jesuits who, in 1715, partially demolished it to build a larger one, saving the counterfaçade and bell tower. The current building, consecrated in 1728, was built in the predominant style of the time, Baroque, thanks to financing from the Venetian aristocratic Manin family.
The workers involved were directed by the architect Domenico Rossi. The church, characterized by an extraordinary wealth of decorative elements, is an example of Jesuit architecture with a single nave with an inscribed transept. It is famous for the white and green stuccos and marbles that imitate the silk and velvet fabrics in vogue at that time, for the ceiling decorations – which narrate the theme of spirituality linked to Saint Ignatius of Loyola – and for the presence of works such as The Martyrdom of San Lorenzo by Titian and The Assumption of the Virgin by Tintoretto.
The significant restoration work now underway – carried out by the Venetian company Lithos – includes, as mentioned, the consolidation of the stuccos, the restoration of the facade and roof, and the strengthening of the bell tower for greater resistance to seismic actions and wind.
The client needed to install a safe and light temporary structure, which would allow for easy intervention on the portions to be restored, minimizing the quantity in terms of volume and weight of the work being restored, preserving the ancient flooring. The solution designed by the installation company Metalmontaggi and Layher allowed the study of a lightweight, low-impact, quick to assemble and high-performance system, albeit with completely standard Allround material.
Layher systems
The Allround multi-directional system was used inside and outside. In detail, an external scaffolding was created, which reaches a height of 38 metres, to intervene on the main facades and, partially, on the roof, with the insertion of an aluminum stair tower with ramps to guarantee comfortable and safe access to the different work floors.
Inside, in the central nave, the ground supports have been minimized to reduce interference to the use of the church itself and preserve the flooring. The platform for working on the frescoes and ceilings is supported only by lateral supports, while a central tower, together with long transverse spans, allows greater workability on the surfaces being worked on and, at the same time, reduces the visual impact of the structure. The heights vary from 16 meters in the perimeter of the central nave to 24 meters in the central area.
Allround system and Flex beam
As we have seen, Allround is the first multidirectional system in the world, created by Layher in 1974: it is characterized by the reduced volume of material necessary to set up the most diverse structures, the speed of assembly and the high level of safety. The combination of the connection speed and the absence of bolted joints allows the different components to be connected together at right angles or to be oriented as desired, guaranteeing optimal load transmission.
The Trave Flex, on the other hand, is a box-shaped aluminum profile with high load-bearing capacity that integrates with the Layher scaffolding systems, and in particular with the Allround system, to facilitate the construction of suspended or cantilevered works. Its main characteristics are low weight, rapid assembly (thanks to a U-shaped upper profile that allows direct connection of the decks), and high resistance. All these peculiarities make it an efficient alternative to steel and aluminum trusses, with significantly lower shear and torsional stiffness.
Layplan Cad
As for the Italian Pavilion at the 2025 Architecture Biennale, the intervention was designed with Layplan Cad, the software developed by Layher which works as a plug-in for Autocad and Bricscad to allow the 3D design of temporary works and complex scaffolding. Thanks to a complete and detailed library and automated operations, the design of Layher temporary works is precise and allows for efficiency and timely planning of construction site management, identifying potential interferences and ensuring smooth installation.
Layher’s comment
“The primary objective for this work was the creation of a scaffolding that, inside the church, was light and as least invasive as possible. With the use of our Allround system and the aid of Allround LW (light weight) elements we reduced the weight of the structure, while at the same time increasing its capacity, being able to work with longer spans. A solution that allowed us to guarantee excellent accessibility to the base – explains Daniele Berlanda, sales director of Layher – The sensitivity, technology and solutions that Layher is able to develop with its local partners, such as Metalmontaggi, are possible thanks to a profound knowledge of the needs of the restoration sector, coming from over 80 years of experience in producing solutions for temporary works. There were many technologies that we could have implemented for this construction site but, after careful planning developed by Metalmontaggi, we believed that the multidirectional Allround system, given its high performance and undoubted versatility, would be sufficient to satisfy the requests. Thanks to the precision of the graphics developed, the considerable experience of the fitter and the synergy with Lithos, the construction site did not present any critical issues”.
Who is Layher
Founded in 1945 in Germany, where the production sites are located, Layher produces temporary works for the construction, industry and events sectors. Since the beginning of its history, Layher has always been a pioneer: many innovations were introduced, including the most important, in 1974, the first multidirectional scaffolding in the world. Today the company is present with 45 offices around the world. It has been active in Italy since 1994.
For the project examined in this article we mention:
- Paolo Pagnin, founding partner of Lithos srl
- Ilaria Bellinello, restorer of Lithos srl, responsible for the ongoing restoration
- Doctor Fabrizio Magani, Director of the contracting station (and general director for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of the Ministry of Culture)
- Doctor Antonio Tedeschi, responsible for the FEC procedure (Cult Buildings Fund, Ministry of the Interior)
- Saverio Sisti, general manager of Metalmontaggi srl
- arch. Anna Chiarelli works management (Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Municipality of Venice and the Lagoon)
- RUP arch. Silvia Degan (Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Municipality of Venice and the Lagoon)
- Roberto Vesentini, Layher CEO
- Andrea Piovesan, infrastructure development and restoration Layher
- Alessandro Mazzali, North-East Layher area manager
For further information
layher.it
