Innovative Techniques for Masonry Ancient Buildings Conservation

This paper presents a review of recent innovative techniques for con- servation of ancient masonry buildings where the architectural heritage consists of constructions in stone materials. These constructions are conditioned by the architectural styles of the past that are representative of all ancient cities. There is a huge variety of stone materials that have substantially different characteris- tics depending on the type of source rocks from which they are extracted. These materials are affected by synergistic chemical, physical, and biological degrada- tion phenomena caused by the complex interaction between the materials and the exposure environment. The degradation of materials can compromise the structural behavior of the construction and increases its seismic vulnerability. The preservation of the architectural heritage built with stone requires restora- tion works able to neutralize or at least reduce the degradation of these extreme- ly vulnerable materials and this paper illustrates a multidisciplinary research ac- tivity aimed at using an innovative product based on lime and nanoparticles of graphene in restoration and conservation of ancient masonry.