Architectural heritage

In this article, the Cultural Heritage Earthquake Damage Ontology (CHEDO) model is presented. This ontology has been designed to document damage and loss caused by earthquakes in cultural heritage, through its integration into BIM systems interconnected with databases, although this integration is not addressed in the present work. The CHEDO model integrates terms and relationships to document the damage process in relation to the building characteristics (architectural, spatial, constructional, and geometrical) and the physical environment of the same. This model, by providing a comprehensive description of the building and its environment, allows for complete and accurate documentation of damage, which supports the planning of post-earthquake restoration and reconstruction.

This paper conducts quantitative and qualitative research to analyze how traditional dwellings were transformed during the reconstruction of four historic neighborhoods in the Kathmandu Valley following the Nepal earthquake. The transformation and modification of a traditional housing stock is evaluated through a combination of the direct impact of the earthquake, the application of modern earthquake-resistant building technology, the costs and logistics of reconstruction, and the priorities of local residents.

This study provides a global view of the current state of fires in historic and heritage buildings. It identifies gaps and gaps, proposes future areas of research and provides a basis for finding solutions to achieve fire safety in historic and heritage buildings. The conservation of these buildings and their rehabilitation against demolitions and new construction is promoted, leading to more sustainable construction.

The Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre has produced the second scientific report. The report represents a collaborative effort of more than 300 disaster risk experts from different sectors and disciplines who have worked together for more than 2 years to present the consequences of disasters on various assets at risk (population, economic sectors, critical infrastructure, ecosystem services and cultural heritage).

The final objective of this guide is for the people in charge of these facilities to acquire general knowledge about the main risks present in these buildings, so that they become aware and sensitized to:
- Establish basic prevention guidelines that reduce the probability of an accident occurring.
- Plan action procedures that, to the extent possible, guarantee both the safety of people and the property of buildings of heritage interest
- Know how to act and who to go to if the incident occurs.

The fuzzy buildings service life (FBSL) expert system is a software application that contributes to the preventive conservation of architectural heritage. It establishes the process of evaluation and analysis of the vulnerability and main risks of heritage buildings, managing the durability and service life according to their functionality. This work demonstrates, after a detailed study and analysis of the two main reference standards in the field of risk management, such as the international standard ISO 31000:2009 and the European standard EN 31010:2011, that the FBSL expert system has been developed complying with the specifications established in these standards.This research justifies the use of this method, based on a new expert system that predicts the future useful life of homogeneous heritage buildings around the world. This model manages the risk affecting these buildings and also complies with the aforementioned standards. Finally, the practical application of the FBSLexpert prediction system was carried out through the study of a specific architectural heritage site.

A collaborative project conducted between the UNESCO Office in Amman, the Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation (RLICC) at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, the Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority (PDTRA), and the Department of Antiquities of Jordan (DoA), aimed at assessing and mitigating risks endangering the heritage values in Petra, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This document discusses applying a systematic fire safety evaluation procedure to protect historic properties.