Historical and architectural study for the numerical modeling of heritage buildings: the Tower of Comares of the Alhambra (Granada, Spain)

Abstract

Numerical analysis techniques are becoming an essential tool over the last few decades in the field of maintenance and preservation of architectural heritage. This study presents the development of a numerical model of the Tower of Comares, in the fortress of the Alhambra (Granada, Spain). A thorough research on the historical documentation was carried out, as a crucial step to understand the structural characteristics of a heritage building and to define the mechanical properties of its construction materials. With this information, a highly-detailed three-dimensional model of the tower was developed, on which a modal and a static analysis were performed. The development of this kind of models is the basis to simulate the structural behavior of heritage buildings under different load conditions and to assess their vulnerability