ASSESSMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND STATE OF PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS WITH STEEL-REINFORCED CONCRETE.
Antonia Moropoulou1*, Kyriakos Lampropoulos1, George Batis1
1 National Technical University of Athens, School of Chemical Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 9 Iroon Polytechniou, Zografou Campus, 15780, Zografou, Athens, Greece
* Tel. +30 210 7723276, Fax. +30 210 7723215, email: amoropul@central.ntua.gr
ABSTRACT
Architectural heritage assets constructed by steel-reinforced concrete have demonstrated limited durability and lower life service expectancy, compared to modern buildings. The impact of severe environmental decay factors, in conjunction with the limited knowledge of the behaviour of the early-era concrete, has resulted in increased damage and risk of failure of these heritage assets. However, any conservation or protection interventions should not be implemented without knowledge of the environmental impact and the state of preservation of these historic buildings. This is accomplished by the adoption of an integrated approach, which collects a vast array of information in order to allow an effective correlation of all available data towards the development of a feasible and accurate diagnosis of the prevailing problems. Only then can interventions be designed and implemented effectively. Within this overall scheme, non-destructive techniques play a crucial role, more crucial than in modern buildings, due to the restrictions imposed by the cultural heritage character of the historic buildings, which generally does not allow the implementation of analytical – destructive – testing. Three case studies, the Rotunda and Dome of the Spa Complex in Kallithea, Rhodes; the Bell tower of the Church of Saint John Prodromos, Symi Islandl and the Enamel and Metalworks – EMAGE - factory, Kea island, demonstrate the successful application of such techniques.
Key-words: steel-reinforced concrete, historic building, environmental impact assessment, preservation state, non-destructive testing