- recovery of the Brazilian National Congress Palace after its invasion on January 8th, 2023

Abstract

This paper presents the documentation and physical recovery actions carried out by the Brazilian Federal Senate, through its Infrastructure Department, in the recovery of the National Congress Palace after the invasion and vandalism it suffered on January 8th, 2023. We discuss the methods for damage recording, the technical procedures for its restoration, and the results achieved, from the perspective of cultural heritage, considering the uniqueness of the context, the diversity of values ​​involved, and the materiality of the building itself. The swift recovery, carried out mainly in two months, was made possible by the prior existence of material and intellectual means: detailed physical surveys; technical specifications of services and materials; robust maintenance contracts; and a dedicated team of architecture and engineering professionals, familiar with the building and its maintenance. Despite the extent of the damage, we conclude that the idea of ​​ruin cannot be considered, since there was no critical discontinuity in the image, use, or the fabric of the building itself. Thus, we discuss the possibility of the works being characterized or not as restoration, considering different definitions of the concept. From the perspective of material conservation, the case brings up the question of how the results of interventions like this depend on the limitations and possibilities inherent to the materials to restore, and not only on the sensitivity and ingenuity of those responsible for the actions. From a broader values perspective, the case shows the contradictions and conflicts of preservation: the Palace was invaded and vandalized not because of a lack of recognition, but precisely because it was recognized as a symbol of Brazilian institutions; and this same symbolic value drove a rapid recovery, more than the artistic and historical values ​​usually invoked.