ROOF RENOVATION, ABONDANCE ABBEY, FRANCE.

The Abondance Abbey (12^th Century) located in the Savoy regionof France, very close to the mountains bordering Switzerland, became the first
building in the region to be listed as a historical monument in 1875.

In 2014, the team of heritage architects took over the restoration project
for different areas of the building, including the roof. The study diagnosed
different problems due to water leaks that affected both the roof, restored in
1970 with a type of wooden tile called “tavaillons”, and its structure made of
wood.

For the restoration work, the architects decided to return to the material
initially used for the monument's roof, the slate. The original slate, year
1730, came from quarries in the region, already closed. This slate was
characterized by a gleaming light gray color, small in size and its placement
was done using nails. The study ruled out different types of slates from
different parts of the world due to color difference or geographic remoteness,
among other reasons. Finally, the team of architects chose the Phyllite of
Bernardos, Segovia, for its technical characteristics (hardness, flexibility,
resistance to climatic changes and its LNE A1 / T1 / S1 classification) and
aesthetics (leaden grey color, metallic reflections and a unique and
characteristic grain). Since that moment, in 2014, Naturpiedra Jbernardos has
been immersed in the restoration program of the Abondance Abbey roof, supplying
its grey Phyllite.

The production of the Jbernardos grey Phyllite perfectly meets the high
level of demand of this restoration work. One of the reasons is the absence of
explosives for cutting the blocks from which the slates are subsequently extracted,
carried out only with diamond wire, in addition to the handly exfoliation and
preparation of the chipped edges of the slate. These careful production works
together with the strict selection of the slates have allowed the installation
of the most beautiful pieces on the roof of the Abbey.

More than 40 000 rectangular pieces, in 30 × 20 cm format, have been used
for this restoration work. and 8 mm thickness, placed using the traditional
nail system.

The restoration of the roof has been carried out in several phases, which
has meant work in adverse weather conditions, combated thanks to the
construction of a temporary double roof based on a light structure on
scaffolding that protected the building and the equipment of job.

Thanks to the successful result of this project, Naturpiedra JBERNARDOS has
continued to carry out restoration works in the Savoy region, where it is
committed to the Grey Phyllite JBERNARDOS for technical and historical reasons.