How to manage a urban color plan which takes in account the supporting materials and the conservation state of the buildings

The contribution deals with conservation of the external surfaces and analyses two case studies in which this issue has been addressed through a “proactive” approach, leading to an advanced management tool. While the traditional “piano del colore” regards plasters as a “skin” to be replaced and provide a selection of approved colours and patterns without taking into account the actual state of conservation, in both these examples, preservation is the first choice: the need for a complete replacement has to be justified and a thorough analysis is required to design any intervention (which means choosing the colour, but also the materials and application techniques). Coccaglio has set up a “conservation plan” to manage the renovation of the facades of the historical center and promote best practices. A web-based platform dedicated to conservation and management of historic buildings has been tested, to manage both private and public interventions and solve critical issues at building and urban level. Crespi D’Adda was inscribed in the UNESCO List as an exceptionally well-preserved ‘company town’. Uniformity should be one of the characters of the site but actually there is a range of different situations: the original plasters are well preserved but over half of the buildings has been compromised with either modern plasters or painting. A “soft rule”, that is currently being tested, has been proposed as part of the management plan (currently being drawn), consisting in a set of tools and guidelines.