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 modern understanding of limit analysis. Damage and collapse mechanisms for masonry construction, as the most widespread structural form for historical buildings, is described. Excess permanent loading and settlement is differentiated from environmental and anthropogenic actions such as earthquake or incorrect intervention.
The team of authors brings together unique expertise, with high level research and leading practice with archetypical cases from around the world. The book addresses the history of conservation by exploring materials and structures and the history of construction and damage, so it is of value to students and professionals in civil engineering and architecture, as well as archaeologists and art historians.
About the Author: Dr. Pere Roca is Professor at the School of Civil Engineering of Barcelona, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), since 2000, where he carries out his activity as lecturer, researcher and consultant on building structures. He obtained his degree in Civil Engineering in 1985 and his Ph. D. degree in 1988 at UPC. His research is oriented to structural analysis techniques, non-destructive and minor-destructive inspection techniques, structural monitoring, seismic evaluation, and strengthening techniques with focus on existing structures. A significant part of his research effort has been devoted to the development of criteria and tools for the conservation and restoration of monuments and historical structures. He has participated a large number of national and international research projects and has supervised 18 PhD thesis in the fields of experimental and numerical analysis of concrete or masonry structures, structural conservation and inspection techniques. He is an active member of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Analysis and Restoration of Structures of Architectural Heritage (ISCARSAH), which he chaired during 2005-2008. He is lecturer in the Advanced Masters on Structural Analysis of Monuments and Historical Constructions (SAHC). He is co-editor of the International Journal of Architectural Heritage since 2007 and co-advisor of the Conference Series on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions. He has been consultant in over 100 case studies on existing and historical structures, including Romanesque and Gothic churches and cathedrals, medieval bridges and Modernist buildings. He has collaborated in the study of 9 UNESCO World Heritage buildings.
Dr. Paulo B. Lourenço is Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal since 2006. He received his degree in Civil Engineering at University of Porto, Portugal in 1990 and his PhD in Civil Engineering at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands in 1996. He has been the Co-Head of the Institute in Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering since 2007 and the Co-Head of the Institute for Bio-Sustainability since 2013. He is experienced in the fields of non-destructive testing, advanced experimental and numerical techniques, innovative strengthening techniques and earthquake engineering. He is specialist in structural restoration and forensic engineering, with work on more than one hundred monuments and existing buildings, including 7 UNESCO World Heritage sites. He is also a structural masonry expert, responsible for R&D projects with the clay brick, concrete block and lightweight concrete block masonry and mortar industry. He has been a consultant on innovative masonry structures using confined and reinforced masonry, and on masonry infills. He has been the leader of the Project Team responsible for the revision of Part 1 of the European code for masonry (EN 1996-1-1). He is the coordinator of the Advanced Masters on Structural Analysis of Monuments and Historical Constructions (SAHC) since 2007, with alumni from 70 countries and Europa Nostra Award in 2017. He is co-editor of the International Journal of Architectural Heritage since and co-advisor of the Conference Series on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions. He has supervised more than 50 PhD theses and coordinate multiple national and international research projects.
Dr. Angelo Gaetani is a Postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho in Guimarães (Portugal). He got his MSc in Building Engineering and Architecture at University of Calabria (Italy) in 2008 and received the Postgraduate Professional Degree in Seismic Design at the Polytechnic University of Milan (Italy) in 2010. He worked as a professional structural engineer and consultant in Rome (Italy) until 2012, leading structural restoration and seismic retrofit projects. In 2016 he received the joint PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Sapienza of Rome and at the University of Minho in Guimarães. His research domains include the seismic capacity of masonry vaulted structures, working on both numerical analyses and experimental activity. At the 2018 APT conference held in Buffalo (USA), his work on masonry cross vaults was the inaugural recipient of the "David Fischetti Award" presented by the Preservation Technical Committee (PETC) of the Association for Preservation Technology International (APT).
