Vulnerability Assessment of Cultural Heritage

A special issue of Heritage (ISSN 2571-9408).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2019) | Viewed by 16220

Special Issue Editors

Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Cyprus University of Technology, Achilleos 1 Building, 2nd Floor, Office 214, Saripolou 2-8, 3036 Limassol, Cyprus
Interests: vulnerability assessment; risk modelling; structural upgrading; cultural heritage; rocking
1. Ex—Vice Rector of Academic Affairs, Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Cyprus University of Technology, 3036 Limassol, Cyprus
2. Coordinator of the Excelsior H2020 Teaming Project, Remote Sensing and GeoEnvironment Lab, Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Cyprus University of Technology, 3036 Limassol, Cyprus
3. Managing Director, Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence, 3012 Limassol, Cyprus
Interests: earth observation; remote sensing; GIS; geo-information for natural and built environment; hazards
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vulnerability assessment includes various steps, starting from the geometric and historic/archaeological documentation of a site, moving to understanding and use, mapping of its structural system and deficiencies (cracking patterns) leading to numerical modelling, and structural vulnerability assessments based on external loads from hazards. Various experts need to put together their efforts in a multidisciplinary approach, involving archaeologists, historians, architects, surveyors, civil engineers, geologists, environmental engineers and others, with the aim to fully understand the pathology, deterioration of materials, and current status of a monument.  To this end, this Special Issue, aims at presenting a survey of the multi-disciplinary studies related to the vulnerability assessment of tangible cultural heritage.

Directives and policies have already addressed the need to document and monitor cultural heritage due to the presence of various threats. Monuments and cultural landscapes are nowadays facing a number of both natural and anthropogenic hazards. These includes urban expansion, anthropic pressure, earthquakes, war conflicts, soil erosion, land use changes, climate change impacts, floods, landslides, etc. Therefore, it is significant, for the scientific community to be able to measure, model and predict these hazards but also to study their impact and assess the vulnerability of cultural heritage sites and monuments. This effort is becoming even more difficult when we taking into consideration the geographic distribution of the cultural heritage sites. On the one hand, each cultural heritage site and monument is unique and therefore specialized studies are needed on a ground and close-range level.  On the other hand, a macro-scale approach is necessary when, there is a need for systematic and affordable methods for gathering data for a large number of monuments and sites in a short time as the case of war conflicts and earthquakes. Moreover, buried architectural structures -not still excavated- or already backfilled archaeological trenches are becoming another part of this complex scenario.

We therefore invite papers on the following non-exhaustive list of topics around “Vulnerability Assessment of Cultural Heritage”:

  • Characterization techniques for material properties evaluation
  • Vulnerability assessment of built heritage based on non-contact and non-destructive techniques
  • Vulnerability assessment of built heritage based on destructive techniques
  • Earth Observation for monitoring cultural heritage landscapes
  • Multi-hazard assessment of cultural heritage landscapes and monuments
  • Novel methodologies for vulnerability assessment of monuments
  • Methodologies and studies related to the vulnerability assessment of buried architectural structures -not still excavated- or already backfilled archaeological trenches
  • Numerical models for assessment of monuments under seismic loading
  • Correlation of vulnerability assessment with historical seismicity

Dr. Athos Agapiou
Dr. Nicholas Kyriakides
Prof. Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1461 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Ecological Impact of Ultramarathon Events in Protected Natural Sites: ‘Le Grand Raid Réunion’
by Sandra Heck
Heritage 2019, 2(1), 749-760; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/heritage2010048 - 21 Feb 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3185
Abstract
Outdoor sport events evidently have an impact on the environment. If they are taking place in naturally protected areas this impact is even greater. By taking ’Le Grand Raid Réunion’, an international ultramarathon annually organized in the heart of an UNESCO World Natural [...] Read more.
Outdoor sport events evidently have an impact on the environment. If they are taking place in naturally protected areas this impact is even greater. By taking ’Le Grand Raid Réunion’, an international ultramarathon annually organized in the heart of an UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, as a case study, this paper concentrates on assessing the ecological impact of an outdoor sports event in a protected natural site. On the basis of datasets taken from official logistics lists and from a survey conducted among all event participants the analysis embraces ecological and carbon event footprinting. Measuring those two indicators allows identifying the specific event-related ecological impacts, including diverse variables caused by the athletes, the spectators, and the related organizational requirements. The results of the study thereby have the ability to strongly influence the future event policy and to function as a model for the assessment of the ecological impact of other outdoor sports events. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vulnerability Assessment of Cultural Heritage)
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17 pages, 4410 KiB  
Article
Architectural Heritage: A Discussion on Conservation and Safety
by Antonio Borri and Marco Corradi
Heritage 2019, 2(1), 631-647; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/heritage2010041 - 13 Feb 2019
Cited by 48 | Viewed by 8228
Abstract
This paper presents a study carried out in the Italian region of Umbria, after the 2016 Central Italy earthquake. The aim is to address the problem of the conservation and protection of architectural heritage in Italy. The application of retrofitting strategies, while improving [...] Read more.
This paper presents a study carried out in the Italian region of Umbria, after the 2016 Central Italy earthquake. The aim is to address the problem of the conservation and protection of architectural heritage in Italy. The application of retrofitting strategies, while improving the seismic performance of historic—and frequently listed by conservation bodies—buildings, will not significantly alter their appearance, will be reversible, and fall within the principle of minimum intervention (minimal (least) intervention (or conservative repair)). These issues were evaluated in the paper by considering the different points of view of structural engineers and conservators. Heavy structural-oriented interventions as well as the underestimation of the importance of the structural safety for masonry monuments has produced, in the past, irreversible damage to important buildings and monuments, and loss of architectural heritage in Italy. The requirement of structural safety, especially for monuments located in seismic-prone areas, is compared with the need for conservation. The Italian building guidelines for interventions of cultural heritage are also discussed, highlighting some limitations and important advancements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vulnerability Assessment of Cultural Heritage)
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15 pages, 2960 KiB  
Communication
The Monumental Mistake of Evicting Bats from Archaeological Sites—A Reflection from New Delhi
by Ravi Umadi, Sumit Dookia and Jens Rydell
Heritage 2019, 2(1), 553-567; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/heritage2010036 - 08 Feb 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3914
Abstract
We highlight the importance of an integrated management policy for archaeological monuments and the insect-eating bats that roost inside them. We refer to India, but the issue is general and of worldwide significance. There is increasing evidence that the ecosystem services provided by [...] Read more.
We highlight the importance of an integrated management policy for archaeological monuments and the insect-eating bats that roost inside them. We refer to India, but the issue is general and of worldwide significance. There is increasing evidence that the ecosystem services provided by insect-eating bats in agricultural fields are of vital economic importance, which is likely to increase as chemical pest-control methods become inefficient due to evolving multi-resistance in insects. We visited five archaeological sites in the city of New Delhi. We found bats at all five locations, and three of them harbored large colonies (many thousands) of mouse-tailed bats and tomb bats. These bats likely disperse over extensive areas to feed, including agricultural fields in the vicinity and beyond. All insect-eating bats should be protected and properly managed as a valuable resource at the archaeological sites where they occur. We firmly believe that “fear” of bats can be turned into curiosity by means of education and that their presence should instead enhance the value of the sites. We suggest some means to protect the bats roosting inside the buildings, while mitigating potential conflicts with archaeological and touristic interests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vulnerability Assessment of Cultural Heritage)
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