A n a l y s i s o f t h e T r a d i t i o n a l P a s s i v e S y s t e m s
255
was given to the Sandoval family, who started the renovation works that saved the
building from ruin, distorting, however, its original appearance, not only in the stylistic
and formal aspects, but especially in the structural ones, with some reductions of wall
thickness, the destruction of the two small stairwells and the addition of a monumental
staircase. Also the east elevation was transformed through the replacement of the
mullion windows with larger rectangular windows, while the west elevation was changed
through the creation of several openings. Superstructures were also built on the building
roof, such as a central pavilion with a terrace reached by a staircase, and two little kiosks,
symmetrically put on each sides, covering the three open-air courtyards of the second
floor (Fig.2). There were even two pyramidal-shaped cusps over the southern and
northern foreparts (Fig.2).
In 1809, with the extinction of the Sandoval family, the property passed to Francesco
Notarbartolo e Pilo until 1951, when Zisa was expropriated and became a regional
property. The tampering made in the Seventeenth century by Sandoval was among the
main causes of the collapse of the building, but when it became a public property the
situation got worse, due to the lack of timely consolidations. In 1952 renovation works
started, but they were repeatedly interrupted. For this reason, on Thirteenth October
1972, most of the north wing collapsed because of the reduced wall thickness resulted
from the Seventeenth-century transformation, which made the structure unstable at the
thrust of vaults. The last renovation work is the reconstruction of the collapsed wing,
which brought the building to a hypothetical original configuration (Fig.2). In 2002 the
inauguration of the garden in front of the building has completed the renovation of the
complex (Fig.3).
Figure 2
: The current image of Zisa complex is the result of the renovation works, begun in 1972, after the
collapse, and continued until June 1991.
