Structural Preservation of the Fraccaro Tower, Pavia

Following the collapse of the Pavia Civic Tower, the Italian Ministry for the Coordination of Civil Defense, appointed a Technical Scientific Committee responsible for investigating the causes of the collapse and checking on the condition of other nearby monuments. Based on the findings of its investigation, the Committee ruled that the area all around the Fraccaro Tower, owned by the Pavia University, was not fit for public access. That the Tower had been judged unsafe spurred the local authorities into action and restoration work began immediately. Considering the limited knowledge of the Tower's original material, it was the decision of the Technical Scientific Committee to demand a reversible intervention until such time as the question would be better understood, allowing the Tower to be fully reinforced while preserving its original appearance. The only possible short-term solution appeared to be the so-called strengthening with tie rods under dry condition.