Preventive Conservation of Historic Buildings

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 99-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koenraad Van Balen
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Historic Buildings ◽  
Preventive Conservation ◽  
Built Heritage ◽  
Systemic Nature

Abstract Preventive Conservation is argued to improve preservation of heritage at large. The UNESCO chair on Preventive Conservation, monitoring and maintenance of monuments and sites (PRECOM3OS) has pushed research and collaboration to understand the nature of preventive conservation in the field of built heritage. The study of the concepts and practices of prevention in public health helps to understand the systemic nature of prevention and how they can be transferred to the conservation world.

Hygrothermal analysis of historic buildings

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo Entradas Silva ◽  
Fernando M.A. Henriques
Keyword(s):  
Historic Buildings ◽  
Biological Degradation ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Preventive Conservation ◽  
Climate Targets ◽  
One Year ◽  
Hygrothermal Analysis ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Temperate Climates

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to verify the applicability and efficiency of two statistical methods to obtain sustainable targets of temperature and relative humidity in historic buildings located in temperate climates. Design/methodology/approach – The data recorded along one year in a non-heated historic building in Lisbon (Portugal) was analysed with the two methodologies, EN 15757 and FCT-UNL. To evaluate their adequacy it was calculated the performance index for each target and it was verified the mechanical and biological degradation risks. Findings – While the use of the two approaches is suitable for temperate climates, there is a higher efficiency of the FCT-UNL methodology, allowing a better response for the three parameters in evaluation. Research limitations/implications – Despite the better results obtained, the FCT-UNL methodology was only tested for one city; therefore the application to other situations may be required to obtain more robust conclusions. Practical implications – The effectiveness of the FCT-UNL methodology to obtain sustainable climate targets can lead to important energy conservation in historic buildings and to contribute for the change of old approaches in the preventive conservation area. Originality/value – This paper provides a comparison between two recent methods. The results can lead to some advances in the science of preventive conservation, interesting to conservators and building physic scientists.

scholarly journals Crowd sourcing Welsh language data in the Covid era

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Evans
Keyword(s):  
Historic Buildings ◽  
Place Names ◽  
Crowd Sourcing ◽  
Historic Sites ◽  
The Public ◽  
Built Heritage ◽  
Welsh Language ◽  
Crowdsourced Data ◽  
Language Data ◽  
Historic Record

Welsh language place names risk being forgotten as people choose to use English versions of street names, properties, towns and villages and even rename properties with English names. Many official datasets for historic buildings in Wales do not record the original Welsh names. This presentation will look at how we have adapted our projects to work online during the Pandemic, and how we are crowdsourcing Welsh names of Wales' built heritage and adding them to Wikidata. The talk will focus on the activities of our recent Wicipics project which saw the public contribute remotely, creating Welsh language data and sharing their openly licenced images of historic sites in their area. This session will also look at how we might use this data to enrich our historic record. For example, by combining with OpenStreetMap to develop a Welsh language map interface and by sharing our crowdsourced data with 3rd party websites and other Welsh heritage organisations.

Stonemasonry skills development: two case studies of historic buildings in Scotland

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 218-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott McGibbon ◽  
Mohamed Abdel-Wahab
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Historic Buildings ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Built Heritage ◽  
Industry Experience

Purpose – Scotland’s built heritage (pre-1919 building stock) is exhibiting varying levels of disrepair, in particular for stonemasonry works, despite the government’s on-going efforts for promoting higher standards of repair and maintenance (R & M) of historic buildings. The purpose of this paper is to examine the problems associated with the R & M of historic buildings. Design/methodology/approach – Two case studies (Projects A and B) exhibiting critical disrepair are reported. Site surveying was carried-out on both projects, to identify site features and R & M problems along with proposed solutions drawing on the lead author’s extensive industry experience as a stonemasonry consultant. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals involved in each project to elicit views on the challenges faced. Additionally, three industry experts were interviewed to provide a wider perspective of the R & M challenges facing historic buildings. Findings – Neglect and poor practice resulted in both projects becoming more challenging and expensive than they needed to be, which was attributed to generic and advanced skills 6deficiencies of the workforce. There is an urgent need for a multi-disciplinary approach to the development of a method statement for R & M, drawing on the expertise of professionals and contractors, particularly when specifying repairs to structural elements. Originality/value – This paper has provided original and valuable information on R & M problems, highlighting the importance of continued investment in skills development for historic building R & M to enhance existing current training provision and practice. There is a need for further similar project-based data to inform skills development strategies for the R & M of historic buildings as well as enhancing existing qualification frameworks.

scholarly journals STRATEGIES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF BUILT HERITAGE LINKED TO MAINTENANCE AND MONITORING. CASE STUDY OF THE SAN ROQUE NEIGHBORHOOD, CUENCA, ECUADOR

2017 ◽  
Vol XLII-2/W5 ◽  
pp. 755-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Achig-Balarezo ◽  
L. Vázquez ◽  
M. G. Barsallo ◽  
J. C. Briones ◽  
J. Amaya
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Monitoring And Control ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Preventive Conservation ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
Built Heritage ◽  
Strategic Factor ◽  
Historical Sites ◽  
And Control

The rehabilitation of heritage sites, as well as the implementation of monitoring and control strategies is fundamental for its conservation. In the case of Cuenca, a World Heritage City, a maintenance campaign in the traditional neighborhood of San Roque was carried out in 2014. The objective was to undertake maintenance actions on roofs and façades as well as on elements at risk. The campaign process was developed keeping in mind the cycle or phases of preventive conservation: anamnesis, diagnosis, therapy and control (ICOMOS, 2003). At the end of the maintenance campaign an impact assessment was undertaken and monitoring tools were handed out to the community in order to strengthen the citizen participation in the preservation of built heritage. The experience of the maintenance campaign unveiled a series of lessons that have been evaluated in the present investigation, being the main objective the strengthening of the processes of governance and documentation through the formulation of strategies inherent to the maintenance of heritage buildings. In this process it is shown that the participation of citizens is a strategic factor for the sustainable development of maintenance campaigns, which allow for the preservation of historical sites for future generations.

scholarly journals A Methodology for an Integrated Approach for Seismic and Energy Refurbishment of Historic Buildings in Mediterranean Area

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 2448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Moschella ◽  
Antonio Gagliano ◽  
Alessandro Lo Faro ◽  
Attilio Mondello ◽  
Angelo Salemi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Risk ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Cultural Value ◽  
Historic Buildings ◽  
Built Heritage ◽  
Seismic Risk Mitigation

Energy savings and seismic risk mitigation are the main issues regarding the refurbishment of traditional buildings. Referring to historic buildings, we have to take into account, as design requirements, the cultural sustainability, which means the respects of the cultural value of the built heritage. Therefore, for historic buildings is not acceptable to adopt the conventional design choices applied to newer buildings on energy efficiency and seismic risk mitigation. Generally, the design on the built heritage requires a careful cognitive phase for firstly to identify the performance deficits and subsequently to define which actions are compatible with the cultural value of each building, according to a “case by case” approach. In Italy, specific guidelines have been elaborated on cultural heritage but such guidelines are not integrated into a single methodological process. This paper, through the study of two historic buildings, aims to identify the relationship between the two specialisms, seismic and energy, within an integrated approach. As a result, this study proposes an innovation process characterized by the integration of these two protocols within the cognitive phase and, especially in the pre-diagnosis phase; this phase is identified in the standard diagnosis (Energy approach) and in the LV2 knowledge (Seismic empirical approach).

scholarly journals Categorization of South Tyrolean Built Heritage with Consideration of the Impact of Climate

Climate ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingjun Hao ◽  
Daniel Herrera-Avellanosa ◽  
Claudio Del Pero ◽  
Alexandra Troi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
Historic Buildings ◽  
Climate Scenarios ◽  
The Past ◽  
Built Heritage ◽  
Plan Adaptation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Design Construction

Climate change imposes great challenges on the built heritage sector by increasing the risks of energy inefficiency, indoor overheating, and moisture-related damage to the envelope. Therefore, it is urgent to assess these risks and plan adaptation strategies for historic buildings. These activities must be based on a strong knowledge of the main building categories. Moreover, before adapting a historic building to future climate, it is necessary to understand how the past climate influenced its design, construction, and eventual categories. This knowledge will help when estimating the implication of climate change on historic buildings. This study aims at identifying building categories, which will be the basis for further risk assessment and adaptation plans, while at the same time analyzing the historical interaction between climate and human dwelling. The results show some correlations between building categories and climate. Therefore, it is necessary to use different archetypes to represent the typical buildings in different climate zones. Moreover, these correlations imply a need to investigate the capability of the climate-responsive features in future climate scenarios and to explore possible further risks and adaptation strategies.

Authenticity and relocation of built heritage: the urban transformation of Kiruna, Sweden

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennie Sjöholm
Keyword(s):  
Structural Change ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Urban Transformation ◽  
Historic Buildings ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conservation Practice ◽  
Built Heritage ◽  
Heritage Site

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how different notions about the conservation of built heritage develop in a situation of structural change that demands either the demolition or relocation of a large number of historic buildings. Design/methodology/approach The analysis is based on a case study of the on-going urban transformation of the Swedish mining town Kiruna. The investigation was based on the text analysis of urban planning documents and media reporting, which was used to distinguish stakeholders’ positions towards conservation based on authenticity aspects. Findings The conservation goals of the urban planning process are unclear and the stakeholders have conceptually different views regarding which parts of the town’s built heritage are of significance, which negatively affects the ability to make well informed, transparent and intelligible management decisions. Stakeholder views on the management of built heritage span from the relocation of a few, single historic buildings to maintaining the integrity of the town as a heritage site by moving a significant number of buildings. Research limitations/implications The Kiruna case, being exceptional because conservation in situ is impossible, has the potential to highlight the relation between single historic buildings and the integrity of an urban heritage site, as well as implications for conservation on the urban scale. Originality/value This investigation contributes to knowledge of built heritage in situations of structural change, which is of concern for planning and conservation practice. Currently, many urban areas are under pressure of transformations or destruction.

Introduction

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Christopher Siwicki
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Historic Buildings ◽  
Imperial Rome ◽  
Roman Society ◽  
Built Heritage ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Historic Significance ◽  
Architectural Restoration

The cityscape of republican and imperial Rome was invested with historic significance by its inhabitants. Yet this historic built environment was not static, but subject to destruction and redevelopment. Consequently, Rome’s historic buildings could not simply exist independent of any intervention, but needed to be physically engaged with by the city’s inhabitants. It is the manner in which this was done and how this was perceived that is the subject of this book, with the aim of developing an understanding of the Roman concept of built heritage. The Introduction aims to illustrate some of the importance of, and difficulties with, examining architectural restoration and attitudes to heritage in ancient Roman society through a comparison with the Golden Pavilion Temple in Japan. The Introduction also provides a chapter outline, explaining how the arguments in the rest of the book will unfold.

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