The role of structural monitoring in historical building conservation

Permanent monitoring of structural behavior of monuments is a crucial target in the framework of cultural heritage preservation and conservation. Monitoring plays a very important role in the diagnostic process of an historical building because it significantly contributes to a better understanding of its structural behavior. This information is particularly important in the case of restoration project: this should be defined and executed only after a period of observation of the behavior of the structure, as a function of time and of environmental conditions changes. This paper deals with the definition of a strategy of analysis and risk assessment using the combined techniques of historical and statistical monitoring analysis. When a crisis occurs, through the use of such information, a statistic structural model can be set up and it allows to identify the most reliable strategy of intervention for conservation, considering the real response of the monument. Hence, the difference between the new and ancient structures analysis is presented herein, with the final aim of re-evaluating the empiricism process, which in monitoring itself finds a renewal.