Preliminary analysis of material degradation processes in half‐timbered walls with earth infill in Spain

Abstract

This analysis of the material degradation processes most commonly found in half-timbered walls with earth infill in Spain is part of a much broader line of research aiming to analyze, catalogue and understand their constructive techniques, state of conservation, and transformation in order to propose conservation guidelines. Systematic data collection and statistical analysis of material damage for 268 half‐timbered walls with earth infill have made it possible to identify the most common degradation processes. The effect of these processes on this type of technique, as well as the relationship between them and any possible conditions contributing to their frequency, were examined. Almost half of the sample studied presents some type of material degradation, most frequently surface erosion, while the presence of vegetation is the least common pathology. Any future decisions about the most suitable maintenance and conservation actions should be based on the conclusions reached here concerning the frequency and scope of these degradation phenomena.