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- historical earthen building (1)
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This study assesses the structural vulnerability of part of a later medieval earthen building at
Ambel (near Zaragoza, Spain), once a preceptory or monastic house belonging to the Military
Orders. An inspection of its morphology and materials coupled with the results of an extensive
campaign of static monitoring reveals marked structural inhomogeneities, the product of more
than a thousand years of construction, failure, and repair from the 10th century to the present
day. Building materials are inappropriately juxtaposed, there are discontinuities between construction
phases and fundamental concerns remain over the long-term stability of the structure.
The current condition of the structure is mainly influenced by structural discontinuities introduced
at the time of construction, the unintended consequences of repair and modification and the
material decay that has affected the base of the rammed earth walls. The overall findings of the
static monitoring show that there is no related damage, variations in crack widths are related to
the building seasonal cycle. While static analysis is an essential prerequisite before a suitable
maintenance program can be fully defined, this study argues that no evaluation of the structural
behavior of any historic building can afford to ignore its archaeological “biography” of modification
and repair.
This study presents diagnostic techniques to assess the structural vulnerability of earthen buildings. Medieval structures at Ambel (near Zaragoza, Spain), once a preceptory or monastic house belonging to the Military Orders, provide a useful case study. After more than a thousand years of construction, failure and repair from the 10th century to the present day, Ambel preceptory today is characterised by marked inhomogeneities: construction materials and structural typologies are juxtaposed, with structural discontinuities at the interfaces between construction phases. This paper argues that, while static analysis is an essential prerequisite before a suitable maintenance program can be defined, no evaluation of the structural behaviour of any historic building can ignore an understanding of the building’s history.