Protecting historic buildings from damage and loss due to natural and anthropogenic factors is a constant challenge. Gradual erosion occurs through the effects of weather, whereas extreme events such as earthquakes, fires or storms can lead to even greater, more rapid destruction. Architectural heritage can also be affected by intentional demolition and destructive actions or by poor design, inadequate interventions or the use of incompatible materials and products. All of these may result in accelerated decay, possibly ruinous, if no appropriate caring protective actions are taken. The measures and methods we apply to protect our built heritage have been updated over time in response to the climatic, economic, architectural and social changes of the moment. Learning from past interventions should help us to find better solutions to achieve improved resilience and durability.
In this Special Issue, we invite original contributions describing new research, case studies, projects, reviews and state-of-the-art discussions related to the protection of buildings of historic, architectural or cultural importance. Submissions may concern theoretical or applied research in areas such as building physics, material science, engineering, archaeology, architecture or other fields applied to the preservation, conservation, restoration, reuse or reconstruction of these emblematic buildings. We welcome papers on the following and related topics, including but not limited to: Diagnosis and characterisation of damage of building materials and structures; in situ field test methods, nondestructive techniques, laboratory tests and analysis; Testing and/or development of treatments, products or solutions; assessment of short and/or long-term effects; Preventive conservation; Environmental monitoring, moisture, condensation, mould growth and salt crystallisation; Simulation and modelling: hygrothermal and thermodynamic predictive models; Impact of climate change and environmental conditions; consequences from refurbishments and retrofitting measures: energy efficiency, ventilation, airtightness and moisture in buildings; Digitalisation and documentation, data bases, past interventions, adaptation to new legislation; New methodologies, digital and innovative technologies, building information modelling (BIM).
Keywords: Historic buildings; Conservation and restoration; Case studies and projects; Climate change, decay, resilience, durability; Characterisation and testing of building materials; Portable and nondestructive techniques; Diagnosis and remediation treatments; Environmental monitoring; Simulation and modelling; New methodologies and technologies.