Conservation of stony materials in the built environment

Abstract

Materials in the built environment are exposed to several agents that promote alteration processes resulting in features that might be considered detrimental of its value. There are diverse possible intervention measures that might, however, have unwanted side effects. Here are reviewed the main issues related to the struggle against these alteration processes, from the consideration of the intervention criteria to strategic considerations on the organisation of the intervention that must include temporal and spatial features of alteration processes, as well as possible interventions on the surroundings of the materials and in the materials, including its replacement. The longterm effectiveness of these interventions is linked with the global strategy namely in relation to the conditions that promote alteration processes. Some sustainability questions related to the intervention operations are also considered such as the use of toxic substances and the consumption of resources.

In Defense of Stamp Collecting: The Importance of Case Studies for Geology Teaching

“…This last example illustrates a particularly important feature of anthropogenic analogues, as they can illustrate the process of formation of exotic geological substances (see [15]). The example in Figure 4c-d can also be used for 4D stamps in relation to processes (as is discussed in relation to carbonate crusts in Alves and Sanjurjo-Sánchez [16]). An example of the use of online tools for 4D stamps from the built environment has already been provided in [10], in relation to biological colonization.…”

Cleaning Minerals: practical and ethical considerations

“…Lasers have become extremely popular in building and sculpture conservation (Alves and Sanjurjo-Sánchez 2015), and excellent results have been achieved at the NHM on soot-blackened specimens (Personal Communication, L.Cornish, NHM, 2016). They are highly directional and monochromatic so, once a suitable wavelength and fluence (energy density) has been chosen, they can be easily controlled.…”

GeoloGIS-BH: An Information System for Using the Built Heritage for Geological Teaching

“…For example, a common feature on the built environment are occurrences of calcium carbonate deposits with a calcite structure that in some places (depending on the spatial patterns of the solutions circulation) can produce structures similar to stalactites (as in Figure 3) and stalagmites. It is possible, and the first author of this paper has performed that experience with students, to perform simple field tests such as pH paper tests of the solutions, showing their alkaline character (see illustration in Alves and Sanjurjo-Sánchez 2015) or acid reaction of the carbonate deposits. It is also possible to collect samples from the carbonate deposits for optical microscopy (e.g.…”