Lightweight Structures and Conservation - Engineering and Architectural Perspective

The field of conservation of the built environment deals with different kinds of buildings, monuments and objects. This diversity of structures becomes wider and wider in our time and it contains many structures with advanced technology, that were built in the modern era. Those structures are more and more relevant to conservation of the built heritage. One group of these structures is the group of lightweight structures, in their contemporary meaning. Indeed, lightweight structures existed through all history. For example tents and lightweight shelters can be identified since early days. In addition, human beings usually aspired to lighten the weight of structures even in the case of heavy structures. But scientific, engineering and technological developments in the last eras enabled to lighten structures in an outstanding manner, creating great challenges to the conservation field. In spite of that, a large amount of research and practical activity in the conservation field is focused on heavy structures. Naturally, most of the historical structures that survived thousands of years are considered to be heavy structures. In this situation, dealing with lightweight structures from a conservation point of view is an essential activity in the field of conservation of the built heritage. There is a need to create theories and a body of knowledge dealing with lightweight structures and conservation. This research aims to contribute to create the foundations for this field of activity. It focuses on the roots and characteristics of light structures and their relevance for conservation.