Emil CREANGA/ George NASH / Darius COSTEA
(Spiru Haret University , Bucharest , Romania)
Outline:
The main objective of this paper is to explore ‘regeneration through conservation’ with specific reference to the historic city walls of Sibiu. Recently, proposals have been considered to develop a section of the city wall located within the south-eastern sector of the city. Previously a large early 19th century military barracks building stood immediately above the wall until 1986. The demolition of this building and subsequent alterations to the ground levels either side of the wall has created a number of conservation issues including the leaching of salts from various section of the brickwork as well as problems with recent re-pointing regimes. The paper will explore whether how a more staged approach could have been employed during any future repair programme (through a series of mitigation processes) therby providing a variety of solutions to this fragile historic resource.
Research Questions:
How can sensitive stabilisation of the wall be undertaken without physical determent to the historic fabric?
Can any future conservation work to the wall be considered a long-term solution or are the city walls, like any other historic structure an organic organism requiring sporadic repairs/maintenance?
Can we learn from previous outdated conservation techniques?
Keywords: conservation, cement, moisture, mortar