ABSTRACT
The main tower of Bayon temple, Angkor Thom stands upon a platform foundation of thick manmade sandy fill by a shallow direct sandstone and laterite foundation. The sandfill consists of very densely compacted fill of SPT, N value of 100 to 200 with the special feature of collapsing under a submerged condition. In the projected coming climate change, long and heavy rain is anticipated in Cambodia and every heritage site should be prepared to protect against the change of water conditions. The present situation at Bayon was evaluated by monitoring the change of water contents during rain. In case of squall type rain, heavy but short duration, water does not penetrate deeply in the ground. However, in long and heavy rain conditions, the situation is quite different. This paper discusses how to protect the main tower of Bayon temple based upon the basic principles of conservation based on 1. minimum intervention, 2. incremental approach, and 3. removable measures.
