Eine Plattform für die Wissenschaft: Bauingenieurwesen, Architektur und Urbanistik
Eine Plattform für die Wissenschaft: Bauingenieurwesen, Architektur und Urbanistik
Reigate Stone at the Tower of London: Improving resilience in vulnerable historic masonry
This thesis constructs a scientific framework for examining resilience in vulnerable historic masonry, focusing on Reigate Stone at the Tower of London. Reigate Stone was medieval London’s principal freestone; it was used in high profile projects across South East England during a key economic growth period and represents an important chapter of architectural heritage. The UNESCO world heritage Tower of London is one of the UK’s most recognisable and culturally valuable sites. This combination affords opportunity for evaluating the deterioration of the historic built environment and aligning scientific methodologies with emerging paradigms in the interpretation and management of cultural heritage. An integrated methodology was developed, linking non-destructive field surveys at several scales of investigation with archival research and experiments conducted in controlled environments. This enabled scientific investigation of the complex system dynamics affecting decay. Rather than system balance along a static material/ environment interface, decay is controlled by three axes of variability. (a) An unusual geological context coupled with vast exploitation of limited resources resulted in a wide physical variation in building stone. Mineralogical variability can be expressed according to the relative content of three different cementing components: opal-CT forms a weakly cemented porous matrix; clay minerals include hygroscopic swelling clays; calcite improves strength. (b) The multifaceted character of the historic built environment results in a high degree of present-day environmental variability and associated decay mechanisms. This can be expressed in degrees of shelter at a micro-contextual scale, with complex topographies providing distinct microclimates within single masonry units. Variation is also expressed at larger scales, e.g. Reigate Stone in urban or rural environments. (c) Variability in the past treatment and exposure of masonry has formed a high level of contingency, with the memory effect of ...
Reigate Stone at the Tower of London: Improving resilience in vulnerable historic masonry
This thesis constructs a scientific framework for examining resilience in vulnerable historic masonry, focusing on Reigate Stone at the Tower of London. Reigate Stone was medieval London’s principal freestone; it was used in high profile projects across South East England during a key economic growth period and represents an important chapter of architectural heritage. The UNESCO world heritage Tower of London is one of the UK’s most recognisable and culturally valuable sites. This combination affords opportunity for evaluating the deterioration of the historic built environment and aligning scientific methodologies with emerging paradigms in the interpretation and management of cultural heritage. An integrated methodology was developed, linking non-destructive field surveys at several scales of investigation with archival research and experiments conducted in controlled environments. This enabled scientific investigation of the complex system dynamics affecting decay. Rather than system balance along a static material/ environment interface, decay is controlled by three axes of variability. (a) An unusual geological context coupled with vast exploitation of limited resources resulted in a wide physical variation in building stone. Mineralogical variability can be expressed according to the relative content of three different cementing components: opal-CT forms a weakly cemented porous matrix; clay minerals include hygroscopic swelling clays; calcite improves strength. (b) The multifaceted character of the historic built environment results in a high degree of present-day environmental variability and associated decay mechanisms. This can be expressed in degrees of shelter at a micro-contextual scale, with complex topographies providing distinct microclimates within single masonry units. Variation is also expressed at larger scales, e.g. Reigate Stone in urban or rural environments. (c) Variability in the past treatment and exposure of masonry has formed a high level of contingency, with the memory effect of ...
Reigate Stone at the Tower of London: Improving resilience in vulnerable historic masonry
Michette, M (Autor:in) / Viles, H / Vlachou, C / Angus, I
25.06.2021
Hochschulschrift
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
DDC:
710
Conservation of Reigate Stone at Hampton Court Palace and HM Tower of London
| Taylor & Francis Verlag | 2001
Reigate Stone: Geology, Use and Repair
| British Library Online Contents | 1994
Reigate Stone: Geology, Use and Repair
| Emerald Group Publishing | 1994