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Component One: Seismic Stabilization
Earthen buildings, typically classified as unreinforced masonry structures, are extremely vulnerable to earthquakes and subject to sudden collapse during a seismic event—especially if a building lacks proper and regular maintenance. Historic earthen sites located in seismic areas are at high risk of being heavily damaged and even destroyed.
The GSAP Colloquium
The EAI is involved in research to identify and develop effective seismic retrofit measures with minimal impact to historic fabric. In 2006 the Earthen Architecture Initiative convened two meetings: the Getty Seismic Adobe Project Colloquium and New Concepts in Seismic Strengthening of Historic Adobe Structures. Both held at the Getty Center, the meetings focused on implementation of the Getty's seismic research and on identification of further research needed in the study of historic earthen architecture in seismic zones. Papers presented at this colloquium, as well as the main conclusions of colloquium's round table discussions, will be available as a PDF publication in June 2009.
The EAI's current research builds on the work of the Getty Seismic Adobe Project (GSAP), which evaluated the effectiveness of a range of seismic retrofit measures. Results of this earlier research, conducted between 1990 and 1996, can be found in the following publications:
A Spanish version of the later publication is also available online, as well as a video of the shake-table testing conducted by the GSAP project.
The Implementation Project
In Latin America, the conservation of earthen sites with or without decorated surfaces has always followed the same methodology: rapid assessment of the site, structural reconstruction of earthen walls (including, in some cases, wall painting removal), and re-plastering or cleaning and consolidation (using mostly inorganic consolidants) of the decorated surfaces. The conservation projects developed in the region often lack a comprehensive understanding of:
- building construction techniques and materials behavior through time;
- the structural pathology of a site, specifically those in seismic areas;
- holistic approaches to improving a building's current conditions;
- appropriateness of interventions in order to make them sustainable over time.
In this context, professionals in the region generally apply the same type of treatments to different kinds of buildings and under very different circumstances. Buildings restored during the 1980s are showing signs of structural and material decay due to the presence of:
- structural and non-structural cracking on earthen walls;
- detachment, displacement, and flaking of treated decorated surfaces;
- displacement and deterioration of wooden roofs.
As recommended at the 2006 GSAP colloquium, the GCI is currently investigating suitable earthen sites in Latin America to apply the GSAP principles and to provide a model for best practice in the region.
Last updated: October 2008
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