Role of canonical biplot method in the study of building stones: an example from Spanish monumental heritage

Abstract

In this work, the canonical biplot (CB) method (Vicente-Villardon, 1992; Gower and Hand, 1996) is used to determine the origin, distribution, conservation and pollution state of the different types of stones used in the construction and restoration of monuments of great historical interest. The stone materials (sandstones) used in the Cathedral of Ciudad Rodrigo (Salamanca, Spain) have been used to assess the usefulness of the method. The age of this monument (eight centuries), together with the surrounding environmental conditions, have especially contributed to the pollution of the stone masonries, in comparison to the same stones identified in the original quarries. The CB method has allowed us to: (a) identify the sandstone varieties used in the construction; (b) locate the original quarries of these sandstones; (c) locate these materials in the building, and (d) detect the pollution and deterioration affecting the stones in the monument, in comparison to the stones of the original quarries. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.