Engineering Aspects of Historical Structures

Historical structures typically are more massive than contemporary structures and the structural resistance depends on the geometry of the structure, shape of the structural components and the characteristic strength and stiffness of the material used. Generally, the old foundation systems that support the historical structures are different from the current practice in terms of materials used, foundation-structure connections and the functionality. Ancient building masters had introduced special techniques to make the structure withstand the lateral forces and to control the underground water level and humidity. The engineering concepts in modern structures are not the same as of historical structures such as moment
resisting system, diaphragm etc. The analysis method, strengthening, and other characteristics of such monuments should be investigated with special techniques.