HISTORIC CONSTRUCTION AND CONSERVATION MATERIALS,SYSTEMS AND DAMAGE

Conservation in the built environment raises fundamental questions which have been debated for centuries – what is worth preserving, how is it possible, why is it important? This book takes a modern approach to the meaning of a heritage structure and its conservation. The historical evolution of conservation is briefly addressed, considering prominent individuals and cases; along with the history of construction, focusing on materials and related structural elements, with insight on the sizing rules adopted by masons. This explains structural decisions made during the construction process and allows comparison of scientific theories from the 18th century to the modern understanding of limit analysis. Damage and collapse mechanisms for masonry construction, as the most widespread structural form for historical buildings, are described.