ABSTRACT
The Iberian Peninsula has an extensive earthen vernacular monumental and architectural heritage. However, despite being an essential part of Iberian culture, this heritage has been greatly ignored due to changing ways of life, depopulation in rural areas, lack of social recognition, etc. In addition, the constructive techniques linked to these cultural settings have gradually disappeared, progressively replaced by new seemingly longer lasting and more advanced standardized techniques. In this context, earthen buildings are often restored using different techniques and materials, resulting in cultural and constructive differences, together with material, constructive and structural incompatibilities. Therefore, this rich valuable heritage has experienced and continues to experience the effects of abandonment and lack of maintenance which, in combination with unsuitable interventions, worsens the resilience and durability of this type of architecture. The project “RISK-Terra. Earthen architecture in the Iberian Peninsula: study of natural, social and anthropic risks and strategies to improve resilience” funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, aims to study the natural, social and anthropic risks, as well as degradation mechanisms and transformation dynamics currently affecting earthen architecture in the Iberian Peninsula. This study presents the work carried out within this research project.
