37º IAHS World Congress on Housing: - Universidad de Cantabria

XXXVII <strong>IAHS</strong><strong>World</strong> <strong>Congress</strong> on HousingOctober 26 – 29, 2010, Santander, SpainCODE: 1054CONSERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE: SYMPTOMS,INVESTIGATION AND DIAGNOSIS. CASE STUDY IN A 16THCENTURY BUILDING.C. Galán-Marín, C. Rivera-GómezBuilding Construction Department. Faculty of Architecture.University of Seville.e-mail: cgalan@us.es; crivera@us.esKey words: historic buildings, housing, rehabilitation, structural safety, heritage, historical structures.AbstractConservation of historical buildings is a major issue for modern societies, both fromeconomical and cultural viewpoints. Information about the built heritage, its conditions ofcurrent conservation and the record of previous actions, is vital to plan an adequate strategyfor intervention and remedial measures. This research examines the intervention in culturalheritage from the fund and the philosophy of the urban densification of the RenaissanceSeville in the sixteenth century through a housing example of a special Muslim-origintypology: a large apartment building named “corral”. The building presented as a case study,the “Corral del Conde”, is a 16th century building, located in the city centre of Seville. It wasdeclared National Monument of Historical Artistic Cultural Interest (BIC) in 1979 and theapartments suffered a full rehabilitation in 1993 but present nowadays a much deterioratedstate due to inadequate construction systems used in the refurbishment works. The restorationof an historical building requires technical and historical investigation in order to assess itsmain architectural features and the effects superimposed by its history. The study of thestructure and construction details through historical and bibliographical documentation isuseful to characterise, analyse and record the origin of the structure and the vicissitudesduring its history. Geometrical and material surveys and destructive and non destructive testswere performed in situ to evaluate the level of damage. The research is based on a review ofthe modifications and previous actions and of the constructive characteristics, typology,materials and damages on the building at present, in order to determine the best solutions andto guarantee both the habitability and the preservation of the historical and cultural identity ofthe building. All the activities were focused under the directives of preservation of thearchitectural patrimony gathered for ICOMOS, the “<strong>World</strong> Heritage Program” (UNESCO),and the “International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of CulturalProperty” (ICCROM).37º <strong>IAHS</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Congress</strong> On Housing Science 368