Sustainable Consolidation of Churches that are historic monuments damaged by earthquakes

Abstract

Historical buildings were built using local materials and technologies and suffered degradation of their structural elements over time due to abandonment, material degradation, unauthorised interventions or the action of extreme events such as earthquakes. In Romania, there are many historic buildings seriously damaged by earthquakes, which during the communist period were abandoned or strengthened through irreversible interventions with reinforced concrete. In recent years, historic buildings have begun to be consolidated, respecting the principles of sustainability, using mortars with hydraulic lime and composite materials. The article presents sustainable and reversible retrofitting solutions used for the consolidation of historical Orthodox churches in the Gorj area, Romania, severely damaged by the earthquakes of February 2023.