La rehabilitación sísmica de edificaciones históricas en tierra como estrategias de sostenibilidad del patrimonio arquitectónico en Mérida, Venezuela

Abstract

This research recognizes the restoration of cultural heritage as a sustainability tool, aimed at preserving the intergenerational collective memory, as a unique tangible and intangible resource for society. Two case studies of the rammed earth structures of architectural heritage in the city of Merida, Venezuela, are presented. The study presents the strategies followed to achieve the objective of restoration and conservation of the buildings in light of the principles out lined in the ICOMOS Charter “Principles for the analysis, conservation and structural restoration of architectural heritage”, which establish the guidelines towards sustainability requiring that the structure must be treated as a whole given its cultural relevance in the collective memory of a society. This in the scope of the necessary seismic rehabilitation of the building to be restored, as Merida City is located in a high seismicity zone and had been effected by destructive events in the past. Even though the ICOMOS Charter was created later than the case studies presented, restoration procedures adhered very closely to the principles of the Charter, which afforded the buildings a longer period of usability for the enjoyment of future generations. This compatibility of procedures is mainly due to the application of methods of restoration and conservation concordant with the international charter, for the conservation and restoration of monuments and sites, adopted in Venice in 1964. In addition, both interventions are compared, and the analysis favours the intervention in compliance with the ICOMOS Charter, as well as the implementation of thorough evaluations and multidisciplinary programmes.