Material Weathering and Structural Damage in Historic Adobe Constructions in Spain: Preliminary Results of a Quantitative Approach

ABSTRACT

This article presents the study of the main phenomena of material weathering and structural damage that affect traditional architecture built in adobe, analysing the damage found in 553 case studies, representative of different technical varieties of adobe construction in Spain. The analysis methodology proposed in this text made it possible to quantify and identify the risks of damage appearing, establishing its impact and identifying its main mechanisms and causes. At the same time, the behaviour of adobe construction systems was further studied, observing how specific modifications in technique can promote or hinder deterioration and establishing the probable causes of the different responses to these phenomena.

KEYWORDS:

• Traditional architecture
• earthen construction
• adobe
• degradation

Acknowledgements

The study presented in this article has been developed as a part of the research project “SOStierra. La restauración y rehabilitación de arquitectura tradicional de tierra en la Península Ibérica. Líneas guía y herramientas para una intervención sostenible” (funded by the Spanish Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness, ref. BIA2014-55924-R) and the doctoral thesis “Traditional earthen architecture in Spain. Constructive characterisation, decay phenomena and intervention dynamics” (Gómez-Patrocinio 2018) (Granted by Conselleria d’Educació, Cultura i Esport de la Generalitat Valenciana, ref. ACIF/2016/149)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Disclosure statements

There are no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This study is part of the research project ‘SOStierra. Restoration and rehabilitation of traditional earthen architecture in the Iberian Peninsula. Guidelines and tools for a sustainable intervention’ funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BIA2014-55924-R).