Pilosio covering chosen for the restoration of the Museum of Fine Arts in Dijon, France

2,500 square meters of T76 BUILDING and 600 square meters of T120BUILDING coverings used to protect the museum.

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The restoration of the Fine Art Museum in Dijone has come to the last phase. Works lasted around 30 months and involved the reroofing and the remake of the roofing slate and of some of the masonry work of the building. The section of the museum, located in the east wing of the ancient Palace of the Dukes of

Burgundy, had recently underwent renewal works which also required scaffolding and coverings aimed at protecting the whole portion of the building. Thanks to its high modularity and flexibility, Pilosio’s aluminum covering proved to be the ultimate solution for such a delicate and long-term site, renewing the fruitful partnership between Pilosio and Hussor Erecta - a French company, which has been using Pilosio T76 BUILDING coverings coupled with multidirectional scaffolding for a long time-. In this particular site, however, Pilosio complemented its equipment with T120 BUILDING coverings due to the need for higher openings.

Restoration works

Restoration interventions include the restructuring of roofs and of the underlying masonry. Following the architects’ request, the whole building had to be thoroughly protected for the safety of passers-by, and to prevent spoiling the outside environment. The first challenge was to protect a section of the building requiring a covering with a 34-meter-high opening, not attainable with T76 coverings. Pilosio then decided to provide its T120 system with 120-cm-high modular trusses, which supports coverings from 8.9 to 40 meters width. The beams of the covering were assembled on the ground and subsequently lifted and positioned on the scaffolding with a crane. The restoration was carried out in several phases and the coverings were moved in three successive steps.

A further critical aspect of this site was its size, in terms of hired equipment volume. In total, approximately 3,100 square meters of temporary covering were mounted, together with 170 tons of scaffolding, within 30 months.

The building’s history

The Fine Arts Museum is located in the east wing of the ancient Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, which has been hosting the town hall since 1831. The palace’s history dates back to the 3rd century, but it was only after Philip the Bold was created Duke of Burgundy that he and his successor, Philip the Good, turned the fortress into a gothic-style palace (1300 – 1400). As the palace became a Royal residence, it underwent several changes – in the 17 th and 18 th century – by hand of various architects, including the famous Jules Hardouin-Mansart, who gave it the typical symmetric and coherent shape of the classic style of his age. However, the main structure maintains its original features. As of today, the palace is in a great state of preservation.

History of the museum

The museum was first opened to the public in the new east wing of the palace in 1799. In the mid 1800s it underwent major works of refurbishment and extension, including Louis XIV-style decorations, so as to accommodate the constant addition of both state and private legacy collections. Since 1990, a series of restoration interventions were put in place, which eventually gave birth to a comprehensive renovation plan (2008-2019) aimed at enhancing the palace’s architecture.