TC301 Historic Sites

Organization of Symposia and workshops with the aim to exchange and compare experiences and to collect case histories. Two international symposia were already organized in Naples in 1996 and 2013. A special volume titled "Geotechnics and Heritage" was also published in 2013, containing invited lectures related to exemplary case records. The first J. Kerisel Special Lecture was successfull delivered by prof. Giovanni Calabresi during the 2013 ICSMGEin Paris . The second Kerisel Lecture was successfully delivered by prof. Carlo Viggiani in occasion of the 2017 Seoul ICSMGE. In 2015, two special issues of the Rivista Italiana di Geotecnica (Italian Geotechnical Journal) have been promoted with the aim of collecting additional case histories. A workshop was planned during the ECSMGE in Edinburgh and during the ICSMGE in Seoul.

Preservation of monuments and historic sites is one of the most challenging problems facing modern civilization. It involves in inextricable patterns various cultural, humanistic, social, technical and economic aspects. The complexity of the topic is such that a shared framework of reference is still lacking among art historians, architects, structural and geotechnical engineers. This is proved by the fact that, although there are exemplary cases of an integral saving of any structural components with its static and architectural function, as a material witness of the knowledge, the culture and the construction techniques of the original historical period, there are still examples of uncritical confidence in modern technology which leads to the replacement of previous structures with new ones, which only preserve an iconic appearance of the original monument.

For these reasons publishing short books on specialized topics, like well documented case studies of restoration works at one specific site or of a monument, or detailed overviews of construction techniques, intended as a material witness of knowledge of the historical period in which the monuments were built, or specific conservation/preservation works, may be of great value.

The audience for such books should be professionals and academics in the wider fields of civil engineering, architecture and cultural resources management, and particularly those involved in art history, history of architecture, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, archaeology, restoration and cultural heritage management, and even the wider public.