They should close within a few weeks i glass barrier construction works, placed to protect the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. The operations, started at the beginning of September, following a test on the hydraulic seal of the structure, will end with the creation of a glass barrier of about 130 meters, measure of the entire perimeter of the Basilica.
Operation
Made of transparent glass to be the least impacting possible, the barrier will act to stop the tides of less than 130 cm in the mid-sea. In fact, this quota does not foresee the commissioning of the Mose, but it is sufficient to flood the Piazza and the Basilica of San Marco.
The wonderful Byzantine church, in recent decades, has been hit by increasingly frequent tides, which are undermining the columns, the precious marbles and mosaics.
The values of the barrier
The barrier, to protect the Basilica of San Marco, is composed of sixty slabs of about 5 meters in length, with smaller connecting elements. Each module consists of three plates of glass joined, with a thickness of 3 cm. The slabs are inserted into a track dug along the entire perimeter of the Basilica. In the vicinity of the entrances, however, gates will be placed manually, in case of need.
A project for the Marciana island
The high water protection is, however, a provisional work. It should remain operational for at least three years, pending the completion of a wide-ranging project that includes interventions to safeguard theentire Marciana island and not only of the Piazza and the Basilica of San Marco. Together with the protection, the hydraulic piping system located under the Piazza will also come into operation as soon as it is available.
Sources: metropolitano.it, nuovavenezia.gelocal.it
