Moretti Chimney

The Moretti is a work by Raymond Moretti inaugurated in 1995. This is the dressing of an extraction chimney of the 32M high A14 which passes under La Défense. It is composed of 692 vertical glass fibre tubes juxtaposed across its height, with different colours and diameters.

In addition to widespread fouling and gloss loss, some tubes exhibited significant loss of the painted epidermis, oxidation (whitish veil), and vandalism at the base level.

After removal and cleaning, we carried out a thorough statement of alterations. We were able to establish an arbitration between the tubes that had to be repainted entirely, and those that required only a regeneration of the paint.

In the first case, for the most defective tubes, we used the same BiComponent polyurethane paint used by Moretti. In the second case, we regenerated the paint by micro-polishing and solvent solution, then carried out some occasional alterations on epiphenomenal accidents. Finally, after finishing polishing of all the tubes, we have passed a protection.

Throughout our intervention, the problem of the conservation of contemporary works has arisen due to the fact that there is very little return on the ageing of materials. The question of their restoration, sustainability, but also of their maintenance was raised.