Computational Modeling, a Foundation for Understanding the Structural make up of Historical Buildings based on Principles, Theoretical Criteria and International Conservation and Restoration Recommendations

Abstract

The ISCARSAH principles and guidelines encourage the structural analysis of historical buildings to be carried out using an analogy doctor-patient relationship. Given that this type of building carries intrinsic in their architecture and engineering the historical and technical knowledge of our ancestors, it becomes fundamental and necessary to understand them, so that they can continue to be preserved and thus inherit them to future generations. For that reason, at present, engineers dedicated to the structural analysis of heritage buildings require the support of technological tools that can reproduce numerically and graphically, the behavior of this type of buildings to understand them more accurately. This type of computational modeling is becoming more useful every day, since it is necessary to have instruments that speed up virtual modeling to deal with the effects of natural and/or accidental events, such as earthquakes and differential subsidence. With a proper understanding, it will be possible to choose for the best intervention on heritage objects around the world. In this chapter, some computational graphical models are described that can help students, professionals and researchers in the field.