Montecitorio Palace - Parliament Hall

Over the years, the lighting system of the Montecitorio Chamber has undergone the overlapping of numerous additional interventions aimed at satisfying needs that are now overcome by technological evolution. Current television filming methods no longer require those high levels of illumination which justified the inclusion of additional projectors both at the skylight level and at the stands.
The opportunity therefore presents itself, first of all, to restore architectural dignity to Basile's work, freeing it from the visual disorder caused by obsolete interventions. In recent years, awareness has emerged of how both the well-being of a work environment and the perception of an architectural space depend not only on quantitative parameters but also on the correct evaluation of the aesthetic aspects linked to the qualitative nature of light: shades and color rendering of the sources, contrast between diffused and accent lighting, alternation of elements of rest and visual stimulation up to the simulation of the variability of natural conditions. The focus of the project is the elimination of obsolete fixtures and the skylight with the refunctionalization or replacement of the existing historic projectors. Replacing the perimeter elements of the skylight with appropriate etched glass allows the paintings to be illuminated by placing the projectors above the glass, a location which, in addition to avoiding the visual presence of the devices and the introduction of heat into the environment, allows for easy accessibility and therefore easy maintenance. Furthermore, in the Hall the presence of some more valuable decorative elements including the paintings by Sartorio, the bronze high relief by Calandra, leads to the study and use of devices with halogen sources to guarantee maximum color rendering. In particular, the Calandra bronze requires, in the absence of glare, accent lighting that highlights the perspective depth of the high relief, in the contrast between the figures in the foreground and elements of the background. Hence the use of a device that offers the possibility of independently directing a battery of sixteen very low voltage halogen lamps with controlled optics.