The Ministry of Culture has increased the budget for repairing the leaks in the National Library of Spain (BNE). The investment rises from 1.9 to 8 million euros after technical studies identified the real origin of the problem. It is not the roofs, as initially thought, but 117 defective rainwater downspouts that run vertically through the building.
Diagnosis with video inspection and ground-penetrating radar technology 🔍
Precise location of the fault required the use of advanced inspection methods. Specialized video cameras were used to travel inside the ducts and confirm their condition. Complementarily, ground-penetrating radar allowed analysis of the structure without the need for initial invasive works. This technical approach revealed that the downspouts, seemingly secondary elements, were the core of the leaks threatening the documentary heritage.
The most cultured (and expensive) drainage system in history 💸
It is proven that, sometimes, the enemy is at home. Or, more exactly, inside the walls. While searching for a complex fault on the rooftop, the real culprit had been hidden in plain sight for decades, like a character from a mystery novel. Now, these 117 downspouts will go down in history not for their function, but for their costly rehabilitation. A reminder that, in plumbing as in life, problems tend to accumulate from top to bottom.