Analysis and Proposal to Retrofit the Traditional Construction Systems (Earth) of the Former San José School, Cuenca, Ecuador

Abstract

The objective of this research is to analyze the main traditional construction systems used in the heritage buildings of the city of Cuenca, which was included in 1999 in the UNESCO World Heritage list. These construction systems are adobe, bahareque, clay brick bearing walls and wooden structures for tiled roofs, portals and floors. The techniques are applied to the former San José School, a century old heritage building located in the historical center of Cuenca. The present article will emphasize the analysis and retrofit of the adobe, bahareque and clay brick walls. The former San José School currently requires a maintenance and structural retrofitting plan due to its state of deterioration. Its exceptional architectural value dates back to its designer and builder, the German Redemptorist Brother Johannes Stiehle, who was renowned for promoting the use of mixed construction systems of fired clay bricks and raw earth. Its technological value is based on the presence of several materials that mark the different construction stages of the heritage building. The applied methodology focuses on the evaluation, through the use of assessment and diagnosis cards as well as non-destructive prospecting, of the state of conservation of the bearing walls, its structure, its plastering, culminating with a study of the floors, ceilings as well as murals and panel paintings. The research concludes with an intervention plan that proposes the structural retrofitting of this heritage building, recognizing the richness of its traditional construction systems to guarantee its conservation for future generations.