Historic timber roof structure vulnerability assessment procedures – Critical analysis and comparison

Abstract

Historic timber roof structures in Europe are examples of some of the continent's most intricate and ingenious structural solutions. They were built in close connection with their context and the heritage building to which they belonged. In addition, they were built according to the knowledge of the craftsmen.Considering the value of historical construction techniques, in recent years, many researchers have attempted to develop complex methods that could be used to accurately evaluate them and determine both their value and vulnerability to ultimately develop suitable intervention solutions. However, existing historic roof structure assessment methodologies mainly analyse their structural aspects and state of conservation. Considering this, in recent years, a new assessment procedure was developed based on desk and on-site surveys. It approaches historic timber roof structures in a multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary manner, highlighting their complexity while bringing forward more information about their historical and cultural value.Therefore, to bring forward the originality of the procedure, a series of roof structures from Timisoara, Romania, were evaluated using the developed procedure and their value and vulnerability identified. The results were subsequently compared with those obtained using two other score-based procedures, which approach roof structures mainly based on their structural characteristics and state of conservation.The paper shows that despite the apparent differences between the considered procedures, from assessed features to the interpretation of the results, the outcomes are pretty similar and that each one of them can be used depending on the primary purpose of the assessment.