Heritage Stone 1. Repair and Maintenance of Natural Stone in Historical Structures: The Potential Role of the IUGS Global Heritage Stone Initiative

Natural stone has been used for millennia in many historically and culturally important structures. It inevitably undergoes weathering from natural processes and damage from human activities. Deterioration affects both ornamental features and main structural members of constructions, ultimately requiring repair and maintenance, or causing loss of the structure altogether. Stone similar to the original should generally be used for repairs, but if that is impossible a closely similar material is required. Use of inappropriate stone or treatment with incompatible mortars can be aesthetically unsightly or have structurally and financially damaging consequences. Such use typically arises because of a lack of information and awareness among commissioners and specifiers of works, along with budget constraints leading to selection of cheaper alternatives. Even some World Heritage Sites have suffered. Selected examples from Western Europe illustrate these problems. The Global Heritage Stone initiative has been launched to improve recognition of the internationally most important heritage stones, promote their proper use in construction, maintenance and repair, and to stress the need to safeguard important stone resources for future use.RÉSUMÉLa pierre naturelle a été utilisée depuis des millénaires dans de nombreuses structures importantes historiquement et culturellement. Inévitablement cette pierre s’altère sous l’effet de processus naturels et de dommages causés par les activités humaines. Cette détérioration affecte aussi bien les éléments ornementaux que les principaux éléments structuraux des constructions, ce qui, éventuellement nécessite réparation et entretien, ou alors peut entraîner la perte de la structure. Une pierre semblable à l'originale doit généralement être utilisée pour des réparations, ou alors un matériau très similaire est requis. L’utilisation d’une pierre inappropriée ou un traitement avec des mortiers incompatibles peut être esthétiquement disgracieux ou avoir des conséquences structurellement et financièrement préjudiciables. Cette utilisation erronée est typiquement le résultat d’un manque d'information et de sensibilisation des commissaires et des rédacteurs du cahier des charges, ainsi que de contraintes budgétaires conduisant au choix d’options moins coûteuses. Et même, certains sites du patrimoine mondial en ont souffert. Des exemples choisis de l'Europe de l’ouest illustrent ces problèmes. L'initiative du patrimoine mondial de la pierre de taille lancée pour améliorer la conscience à l'échelle internationale des principales pierres du patrimoine, promouvoir leur utilisation correcte dans la construction, leur entretien et leur réparation, et souligner la nécessité de préserver les ressources importantes en pierre pour les besoins à venir.                                                Traduit par le Traducteu

Pleasure in Understanding, Pleasure in Not Understanding

This paper looks at Alain Resnais’ Last Year in Marienbad (1961) and Chris Marker’s La Jetée (1962). It rests on a premise of film as a constructed, ordered world that answers only to itself. Both films address particular questions about time: what happens to our anticipation of the future if we move back and forth in time reinventing our past and present? (Marienbad) or, can we escape our ruined present by moving into the future? (La Jetée). From Jacques Lacan, it borrows the concepts of the mirror stage by which we recognise ourselves, and of the objet petit a, the looking for which (both in terms of ‘search’ and ‘seeing’) is that from which we derive our pleasure. From Jean-Luc Nancy it adopts descriptions of how film touches us, and the careful orchestration of the pleasure that is jouissance in being within this moment, not knowing where we are going

The Value of Original Natural Stone in the Context of Architectural Heritage

Natural stone is required for maintenance and repair of historically, archaeologically and culturally important structures to prevent deterioration due to weathering and use. Those that have national or World Heritage significance are historically and culturally important. Sometimes, severely damaged buildings may require extensive or complete restoration. The choice of stone should be appropriate in physical and aesthetic terms, ideally from the original source. Researchers, architects, those who specify contracts and other stakeholders need reliable information, but access to, and awareness of, important sources such as manuscripts, publications and collections of samples is often limited. Easier access to information is needed when planning and commissioning works that require the replacement of stone. Making important information more widely available and promoting awareness of the need to maintain adequate supplies of natural stone of suitable quality is a task for both national and international organizations including the Heritage Stone Task Group of IUGS and IAEG. This paper provides some illustrative examples and pointers towards some recent major publications, as well as describing current Heritage Stone Resource and European Union initiatives, all the while requesting further participation from colleagues in this field

Heritage Stone 1. Repair and Maintenance of Natural Stone in Historical Structures: The Potential Role of the IUGS Global Heritage Stone Initiative

[EN]Natural stone has been used for millennia in many historically and culturally important structures. It inevitably undergoes weathering from natural processes and damage from human activities. Deterioration affects both ornamental features and main structural members of constructions, ultimately requiring repair and maintenance, or causing loss of the structure altogether. Stone similar to the original should generally be used for repairs, but if that is impossible a closely similar material is required. Use of inappropriate stone or treatment with incompatible mortars can be aesthetically unsightly or have structurally and financially damaging consequences. Such use typically arises because of a lack of information and awareness among commissioners and specifiers of works, along with budget constraints leading to selection of cheaper alternatives. Even some World Heritage Sites have suffered. Selected examples from Western Europe illustrate these problems. The Global Heritage Stone initiative has been launched to improve recognition of the internationally most important heritage stones, promote their proper use in construction, maintenance and repair, and to stress the need to safeguard important stone resources for future use