Durable methods for corrosion control on reinforced concrete of Torre Velasca in Milan

Torre Velasca was built in the late 1950s and is one of the buildings that characterise the skyline of the city centre of Milan. Like many other reinforced concrete buildings of modern architecture, Torre Velasca suffers today several effects of damage, in particular those due to reinforcement corrosion, and needs restoration works on the facades. The repair method should be aimed at the best compromise between durability requirements and the conservation of the original materials and surfaces of the building. This paper presents the results of a work aimed at the selection of durable repair strategies of reinforced concrete elements on the facades of Torre Velasca. A condition evaluation of the tower was carried out, including collection of historic data, on-site destructive and non-destructive analyses and laboratory characterisation of materials. This allowed to determine the cause of damage and to estimate its extent. Then, repair strategies were discussed.