The Conservation and Structural Restoration of Architectural Heritage (Advances in Architecture Vol 1) [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

G. Croci (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 14, 1998 | Series: Vol 1 (1st of a 2 Vol Set) (International Series on Advances in Architecture

Structural analysis of architectural heritage is a new and growing branch of engineering. Knowledge of the history of architecture, material characteristics, instruments and techniques for investigations, diagnosis and restoration are all vital aspects for the correct understanding of structural behavior and the ability to make correct decisions for repair and strengthening techniques. This book contributes to the development of new approaches in these areas for everyone who is involved in the preservation of monuments.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The book will appeal to all professionals working on historic buildings in that it gives a broad insight into the special problems and requirements facing structural engineers and architects working in this field and contains a wealth of experience --Journal of Architectural Conservation, Issue No 3, dated 11/01/2000

From the Author

Preface - by the author This book is the culmination of many years of work which began when I was first involved in teaching a course on the structural restoration of buildings, nowadays called 'Structural Principles of Monuments and Historic Buildings' at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Rome 'La Sapienza'. This course of university lectures, together with other material collected for the students has now been progressively amplified, using the experience gained in my professional practice and with the practical knowledge acquired as a result of numerous projects and missions in countries like Albania, Bosnia, Brazil, Cambodia, Croatia, China, Egypt, France, Hungary, India, Israel, Korea, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Poland, Romania, Sri Lanka, Spain, Turkey, the USSR, the USA, Uzbekistan and the Yemen.

The idea to transform these notes into a book springs from the need of architects and engineers to adopt, in spite of their differing background, the same clear and methodical approach to the problems of architectural heritage structures. In current architectural literature, the structural aspects are seldom presented in an appropriate way so that often the structural behaviours appear more complicated than they are in reality; either ancient or up to date theories may prove equally useful: what is important is the critical discussion of the hypothesis and a skilful analysis of the problems involved. On the other hand, structural engineering texts are often more concerned with complex mathematical calculations than researching the models which more accurately represent the essential aspects of the ancient building's behaviour.

The approach to remedial measures varies between architects, archaeologists and historians on the one side and engineers on the other. The first groups are concerned with conservation and respect for historical values, the second group with safety requirements. In reality, they are two sides of the same coin.

Readers with an arts or scientific background are therefore asked for a little perseverance in reading those parts of the book dealing with subjects which are partly unfamiliar to them, this broadening of horizons being one of the main purposes of the book.

Most of the examples examined, such as the Colosseum, the Tower of Pisa, the Pyramid of Chephren, the Tilla Kari Mosque in Samarkand, the temples of Angkor and Konarak, the Santa Maria Vieja Cathedral, the domes of St Peter, Hagia Sophia, the Pantheon, St Ignatio de Loyola and St Charles etc., are the fruits of projects and studies carried out during my career.

Finally I would like to thank Ing. Alessandra Carriero and Ing. Fabio Sabbadini for their invaluable help in the revision of the text and the choice of illustrations and Joseph Scott for his patience in reviewing and rewriting my original English text.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: WIT Press; illustrated edition edition (January 14, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853124826
• ISBN-13: 978-1853124822
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,710,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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