Kandahar University

Engineering Faculty
Architectural Engineering Department

Conservation of Historic Building

Lecture 01: Introduction to Architectural Conservation
Text-Book : Conservation of Historic Building, Third Edition
Presented By : Hameed Ahmad

1401/06/25

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General Outlines:
 Historic Building
 Couses of Decay
 What is Conservation
 Value in Conservation
 Ethic of Conservation
 Degree of Intervention
 Course Content

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Causes of decay:
 Of the causes of decay in an historic building, the most uniform and
universal is gravity, followed by:
o The actions of man
o Diverse climatic
o Environmental effects
1. Botanical
2. Biological
3. Chemical
4. Entomological
 Human causes nowadays probably produce the greatest damage.

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Causes of decay:
 Consequently, when analysing the causes of deterioration and loss in
an historic building, the following questions must be posed:
o What are the weaknesses and strengths inherent in the
structural design and the component materials of the object?
o What are the possible natural agents of deterioration that
could affect the component materials?
o How rapid is their action?
o What are the possible human agents of deterioration that
could affect the component materials or structure?

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What is conservation:
 Conservation is the action taken to prevent decay and manage
change dynamically.
 It embraces all acts that prolong the life of our cultural and natural
heritage, the object being to present to those who use and look at
historic buildings with wonder the artistic and human messages that
such buildings possess.
 The scope of conservation of the built environment, which consists
mainly of historic buildings, ranges:
o From town planning
o To the preservation or consolidation of a crumbling artefact

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Values in conservation:
 The ‘values’ come under three major headings:
o Emotional values:
1. Wonder
2. Identity
3. Continuity
4. Spiritual and Symbolic
o Cultural values:
1. Documentary
2. Historic and Archaeological
3. Age and scarcity
4. Aesthetic symbolic or Architectural
5. Townscape,landscape and ecological
6. Technological and scientific
.
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Values in conservation:
 The ‘values’ as already given in the Preface come under three major headings:
o Use values:
1. Functional
2. Economic
3. Social
4. Educational
5. Political
6. Ethnic
.

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Ethics of conservation:
 The following standard of ethics must be rigorously observed in
conservation work:
o The condition of the building must be recorded before any
intervention.
o Historic evidence must not be destroyed, falsified or removed.
o Any intervention must be the minimum necessary.
o Any intervention must be governed by unswerving respect for the
aesthetic, historical and physical integrity of cultural property.
o All methods and materials used during treatment must be fully
documented.
 It should be noted that there are several fundamental differences between
architectural and arts conservation.
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Degree of Intervention:
 The minimum degree of intervention necessary and the techniques
used depend upon the conditions of climate to which cultural properly is
likely to be subjected.
 The seven degrees of intervention are:
o Prevention of deterioration
o Preservation
o Consolidation of the fabric
o Restoration
o Rehabilitation
o Reproduction
o Reconstruction
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Course Content

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Part I:
 Structural Aspects of Historic Buildings:
o Structural actions of historic buildings
o Structural elements I: Beams, arches, vaults and domes
o Structural elements II: Trusses and frames
o Structural elements III: Walls, piers and columns
o Structural elements IV: Foundations

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Part II:
 Causes of Decay in Materials and Structure:
o Climatic causes of decay
o Historic buildings in seismic zones
o Botanical, biological and microbiological causes of decay
o Insects and other pests as causes of decay
o Man-made causes of decay
o Internal environment of historic buildings

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Part III:
 The Work of the Conservation Architect:
o Multi-disciplinary collaboration projects in the UK
o Inspections and reports
o Research, analysis and recording
o Preventive maintenance of historic buildings
o Fire
o Presentation of historic buildings
o Cost control of conservation projects
o Rehabilitation of historic buildings
o Special techniques of repair and structural consolidation
o Conservation of modern buildings

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Thank You!

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