Building Materials

The GCI's work in the conservation of building materials has long been focused on challenges associated with two of the world's most ancient and fundamental building materials: earth and stone. While earthen structures of all eras and types can be found around the world, conservation of earthen architecture is a relatively young and growing field.

Since the early 1990s, the GCI has been actively engaged in various aspects of the conservation of earthen buildings, including training, seismic stabilization and rehabilitation, conservation, and management planning.

Since 2009, our efforts in stone conservation have been focused on training for heritage professionals. With the launch of the Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative in 2012, we began working to advance understanding and conservation of modern materials and building systems such as concrete, an emerging area of practice.

Current projects include:

Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative
Earthen Architecture Initiative: Seismic Retrofitting Project
International Course on the Conservation of Earthen Architecture

Page updated: September 2015