The Weathering Of Natural Building Stones

Provides a general account of the factors which cause decay of building stones and a summary of the best methods to reduce the incidence of decay. It discusses weathering associated with natural defects inherent in stone and examines issues of weathering caused by bad workmanship or errors in the selection of material. Decay through chemical and natural physical phenomena are discussed in detail. The final sections offer useful advice on how to prevent long term decay through appropriate repair, replacement and cleaning of stone.

This edited work comprises 30 chapters divided into six sections: weathering of natural building stones; weathering processes; fabric dependence of physical properties; biodeterioration; quality assessment and conservation of stones; and environmental conditions. Review articles are combined with reports on recent progress in the various research fields, authored by a comprehensive team of international contributors. The volume will be of interest to all those involved in the protection of our built heritage, particularly geoscientists, material scientists, construction engineers, architects and stone conservators.

The weathering of historical buildings and, indeed, of monuments and sculptures of natural stone is a problem that has been encountered for hundreds of years. However a dramatic increase in deterioration in the structure of our built heritage has been observed during the past century. To understand the complex interaction that the stone in a building suffers with its near environment (the building) and the macro environment (the local climate and atmospheric conditions) requires an interdisciplinary approach and the application of many disciplines. Climate change over the next 100 years is likely to have a range of direct and indirect impacts on many natural and physical environments, including the built environment. The protection of our architectural heritage has both cultural and historical importance, as well as substantial economic and ecological value. Large sums of money are being spent world-wide on measures for the preservation of monuments and historical buildings. The past few decades has seen an unprecedented level of research activity in this area, the result of which is often difficult to access and are summarized in the new edition of STONE IN ARCHITECTURE. The 4th edition of Stone in Architecture: Properties, Durability, is a sophisticated and thorough exploration of stone – its properties, performance and conservation – in monumental contexts. The current editors, Siegfried Siegesmund and Rolf Snethlage, note the pioneering work of Erhard Winkler who wrote the first edition in 1973 when so little information could be found in the literature on the subject. This new edition, also published by Springer, nearly doubles the size of Winkler’s 1994 effort. If you are familiar with the field and need to know little more than this statement, you can put aside this review and go buy the book. George Wheeler, Department of Scientific Research, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Stone buildings and monuments form the cultural centres of many of the world's urban areas. Frequently these areas are prone to high levels of atmospheric pollution that promote a variety of aggressive stone decay processes. Because of this, stone decay is now widely recognised as a severe threat to much of our cultural heritage. An interdisciplinary approach between geologists, environmental scientists, chemists, material scientists, civil engineers, restorers and architects aims to strengthen the knowledge base dealing with the causes, consequences, prevention and solution of stone decay problems.

In this volume scientists from different disciplines present their experience and their scientific work in progress. These concern the properties of a series of stones that have been used for the erection of some of the most important stone monuments of international cultural heritage and are also used today for substitution of missing parts or completion of damaged ones. It deals with the subject globally and contains unpublished research results.

Drawn from a January 2000 symposium held in New Orleans, the 13 papers in this collection discuss characterization of materials that have been subjected to exposure tests; advances and new developments in outdoor, indoor and laboratory accelerated tests; and service life prediction. Topics include t