“Completing this work in the middle of a war is nothing short of a miracle!”
As the structural work on the Terra Sancta Museum Art & History draws to a close, we met with Leonardo di Marco, Director of the Technical Office of the Custody of the Holy Land, who is responsible for the executive coordination of the construction site. He told us about the last few months and the difficulties faced in completing this work, which was funded by NDC/AFD.
Hello Leonardo, what concrete actions have been taken to ensure the structural stability of St. Saviour’s Convent?
Foundation consolidation and deep masonry rehabilitation works have been carried out throughout the museum, that is, in the 28 rooms of the future Terra Sancta Museum Art & History. Among all the work we undertook, I would like to mention a procedure that is rather rare in Palestine, that of injections of masonry structures. To give you an idea of the scale of the work done, 759 25-kilogram sacks of lime mortar were injected, equivalent to about 19 tons. I am very proud that, hand in hand with the workers, we were able to accomplish this task. This was a real transfer of skills, as the team, local, was carrying out this operation for the first time.
As for the floor slabs, we only carried out part of the leveling castings, pending the final studies of the architects. It is possible that large ventilation channels may be needed, to be placed deep under the floors, so we preferred to wait to avoid unnecessary work. We also worked on four historic cisterns. The water was drained, as were all the deposits that had accumulated over the years. The cisterns were then washed internally with high-pressure water and dried. They no longer pose a threat to moisture management in the museum. These cisterns are objects to be preserved in every respect, and even if it will not be possible to physically access them, the demonstration of their existence could enrich the museum’s future museography.
What about moisture management needs?
To ensure proper management of rainwater, we intervened on roofs, courtyards, collection pipes and passages within the museum. The goal was to simplify and rationalize the entire collection system, eliminating accumulation points and passages that could create moisture problems. We removed channels that ran through the exhibition rooms and modified those that were impossible to redirect, making them more accessible for maintenance. This step was crucial to protect the artworks, walls and floors from moisture damage. In total, we rerouted more than 45 meters of water and sewer lines from the exhibition area. To constantly monitor environmental conditions, we installed about twenty humidity sensors at strategic points on the site and in the museum’s storage rooms. The data collected on temperature and humidity will allow us to optimize the indoor climate and better preserve the artworks. It should be kept in mind that, in parallel with the construction site, efforts have been made to communicate and share experiences, presenting the overall project to the Palestinian community. Thus, we have promoted a series of initiatives to engage the local community through guided site visits, Open day, 5 architectural workshops with Birzeit University & Bethlehem University and an exhibitions in the museum’s surroundings.
The construction site has been interrupted several times. What have been your main challenges?
Work on the project, which started in the summer of 2022, was abruptly halted by the outbreak of war. The last working day was October 6, 2023, followed by a forced suspension until March 2024. For six long months, access to the construction site was completely prevented. The resumption of work was only possible thanks to the intervention of the Custody of the Holy Land, which managed to obtain the necessary permits for Palestinian workers to access the construction site. It is important to note that these permits were granted exclusively to the Church and that permits for private companies are still very difficult to obtain, if not suspended. Moreover, even with the permits in place, travel restrictions have been a significant obstacle. Only some checkpoints/access to the Territories were open on certain days, forcing workers to take long and complicated routes to Jerusalem. The work thus gradually became increasingly delayed, but there was absolutely nothing we could do about it !
Could the company not have found workers living in Israel?
We are talking about trusted employees with whom the entrepreneur has an established relationship, who are difficult to replace, regardless of where they live. It is crucial to understand the devastating impact of the war on the labor market. The absence of labor from the West Bank has caused labor costs in Israel to soar. Without the Custody’s intervention to obtain the necessary permits, the deal would have blown up or all the prices, initially based on a completely different context, would have had to be renegotiated. The entire project would have doubled in cost, an unthinkable scenario. We faced the same problem with materials: the war disrupted logistics, causing prices to spike and availability to decrease. Companies were forced to source from multiple places, and delivery times lengthened significantly. Once again, we had to adapt by extending delivery times or renegotiating prices. I would like to thank the NDC team for their helpfulness and understanding. Together we found a solution, reasonably extending the delivery time, while still meeting the unlikely deadline of 2024, well known to all. The difficulties did not stop there: money transfers between Palestinian and Israeli accounts further complicated operations. Completing this project in such a complex context was a real miracle. I am proud of what we accomplished, showing intelligence and respect for both the Palestinian community and our funder, the NDC/AFD, with whom we had to continually revise the contract (as many as five amendments). The museum project is moving forward, and we have just reached an important milestone.
