Masonry evaluation of Architectural-Historical buildings in Chisinau, Moldova

Abstract

The protection and conservation of historic buildings is a complex and extremely important activity for the preservation of the national heritage. The physical condition of historic masonry is one of the necessary steps in determining how heritage assets should be conserved. In this research, the authors apply the non-destructive visual method of assessing the structural behaviour of historic masonry, known as the Masonry Quality Index. This is the first time this method has been used in Moldova, although it was proposed in 2002 in Italy. The method is based on a visual examination of the faces and cross section of a masonry panel and has been adapted to assess the behaviour of different types of masonry in earthquakes. This case study aims to examine the condition of the masonry of historic buildings in Chisinau and when it is possible to cause significant damage to the masonry. The study is based on three architectural-historical buildings in the centre of the capital of the Republic of Moldova, for which the masonry quality index method was applied. The results show the unsatisfactory condition of the historical buildings in Chisinau and the possibility of their destruction by an earthquake. The degradation of cultural heritage is also due to the lack of state involvement in its maintenance.