Building maintenance: a re-discovered culture

Abstract

There is no doubt that the theme of maintenance, which is rooted far back in time, has recently developed in a complex way to get to the present meaning of Planned Maintenance, with all the methods and procedures - sometimes quite sophisticated - that the activities linked to it now require. Nevertheless, much can still be learnt from the treatises and manuals of the past, especially in the vast sector of historical buildings. In the historical technical literature, especially that of the 19th century, it was a common praxis to provide - for materials, building techniques or described works - indications and clarifications on techniques and maintenance instructions, on periodical checks to be carried out, on the most appropriate techniques, on the costs. The present work - which reports the results of a study carried out over many years at the Polytechnic of Turin - analyses maintenance themes and maintenance activity on case studies related to 17th century buildings in the Piedmont area, with references to ancient prescriptions provided by treatises and manuals, with the aim of giving indications immediately useful for the craftsmen of the sector.