A STUDY OF THE DETERIORATION AND REHABILITATION OF ADOBE STRUCTURES

Rogiros Illampas*, Ioannis Ioannou and Dimos C. Charmpis

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus,
75, Kallipoleos str., P.O. Box 20537, 1687 Nicosia, Cyprus
Tel: +357-22-89-4589, Fax: +357-22-89-2202, E-mail: rogiros@gmail.com

Keywords: Earthen Architecture, Adobe structures, Deterioration, Restoration techniques, Mechanical properties

Thematic Area: 6. Technologies for damage rehabilitation

1. INTRODUCTION  Disintegration of adobe

Adobe is one of the most versatile ways of using  Cracking and partial collapse
earth for construction and one of the oldest building  Bulging or slumping of walls
materials with applications in all parts of the world. In Through the research conducted it has been observed
our days, the erection of new adobe buildings is rather that the structural response and durability of adobe
limited due to the industrialization of modern building buildings are largely dependent on factors such as the
materials. However, a large heritage of adobe structures form and scale of the structure, the construction
still survives and constitutes a significant part of the practices applied during its erection, the skill and
international building stock. In fact, 30% of the world’s experience of the craftsmen involved in the construction,
population is housed in earthen dwellings [1]. Adobe the quality of the adobe bricks, and the local climatic
buildings have significant aesthetic appeal and historic conditions. It has also been noted that most of the decay
value and are considered to be essential parts of the mechanisms resulting in the deterioration of adobe
international architectural heritage. Consequently, it is structures are related, either directly or indirectly, to the
very important to undertake research initiatives through presence of excess moisture.
which the effective preservation and rehabilitation of
such structures may be facilitated. This paper presents
the first findings of a research program that examines
the mechanical behaviour of adobe bricks and
investigates the structural response of adobe masonry, in
order to determine methods for conserving and
upgrading existing mud-brick structures. In this paper,
the main factors of deterioration experienced by adobe
buildings are analyzed and the restoration techniques
that are currently applied are discussed. Some
preliminary laboratory tests, that give indications
regarding the mechanical properties of the material, are
also presented.

2. FACTORS OF DETERIORATION OF Fig. 1 Two-storey traditional adobe building located

ADOBE STRUCTURES
The first step towards understanding the structural
behaviour of adobe structures and towards establishing
effective methods for their rehabilitation, is to examine
the main factors that cause their deterioration. In the
framework of this research program, several visits to
Cypriot urban and rural settlements where traditional
adobe buildings survive [Fig 1] were performed and the
most commonly encountered structural problems were
noted and studied. A review of the international
literature was also carried out and this revealed that
similar structural problems are experienced by mud-
brick structures all over the world. The most common
forms of structural damage that were noted are listed
below:
 Deterioration of the base of the wall
 Deterioration at the top of the wall
*Email: rogiros@gmail.com
in the city of Limassol, Cyprus.
3. TECHNIQUES CURRENTLY APPLIED
IN THE REHABILITATION OF ADOBE
STRUCTURES
The available technical guidance for the appraisal
and rehabilitation of adobe buildings is rather limited.
The lack of internationally accepted building codes and
regulations referring to adobe construction precludes the
application of engineering design. As a result,
rehabilitation methods used are mainly based on an
empirical practice of local vernacular building
techniques. Quite often architects and engineers find it
difficult to adopt restoration techniques that are quoted
in the international bibliography due to the inherent
inhomogeneity of adobe materials and the unique
construction methods that occur in each region. In order

to record the currently applied intervention techniques,
in situ inspections of adobe buildings where restoration
works were in progress were conducted and interviews
with architects and engineers who are involved in the
preservation of traditional buildings were undertaken.
The most common practices that were noted are the
following:
 Rising dampness is prevented with the installation of
waterproof membranes or the injection of water-
repellent compounds at the base of the wall.
 The deteriorated base of adobe walls is repaired by
replacing the disintegrated material with new adobe
bricks or fired clay bricks.
 Areas where excessive deterioration of the material
occurs are partial y demolished and reconstructed.
 Cracks are mostly treated with partial demolition and
reconstruction, grouting injections or stitching with
the application of wooden beams and/or steel straps.
 Coatings are restored by the installation of wooden
wedges, nails or fencing wire on the surface of the
wall and the application of gypsum plaster in the
interior and lime-based plaster or earth rendering on
the exterior. The use of cement-based renderings has
also been noted.
 The strengthening of adobe structures requires
restoring the various building elements to their
original size and state. The interlocking between
walls at the corners is improved by installing timber
beams or by the local demolition and rearrangement
of adobes to ensure keying. The connection between
the structure’s walls and the floor/roof is improved
by installing wooden beams and poles or a
combination of timber elements and steel straps.
Resistance to horizontal loading is enhanced by the
installation of additional structural elements such as
wooden ring beams. The addition of reinforced
concrete frames has also been encountered.
 Deformations and bulges are treated with the
installation of timber or steel pre-stressed anchors.
4. LABORATORY TESTS ON ADOBE
BRICKS
A series of compressive and flexural strength tests
has been performed on adobe bricks coming from three
different local manufacturers. Due to the absence of
standardized testing methods for adobe bricks, the
procedure followed derived from a study of the
international bibliography. For assessing the
compressive strength of adobe bricks, samples with
dimensions 4x4x4 cm3, 5x5x5 cm3, 10x10x5 cm3,
20x20x5 cm3 were used. The samples were load-tested
to failure using a 300 kN compression testing machine
with two parallel loading plates (Lloyd LR300K). The
REFERENCES
[1] Houben, H. & Guillard, H., Earth Construction – A Comprehensive Guide, ITDG Publishing: London, 1994.
Proceedings of MONUBASIN 2010, GREECE
flexural strength of adobe bricks was assessed using the
three point bending test. Half adobe bricks were placed
on two parallel tube supports spaced 30 cm apart. A
concentrated load was applied at a constant rate to a
horizontal tube placed in the middle of the test sample,
until failure occurred. The Lloyd LR300K testing
machine was also used for conducting the flexural
strength tests. The results obtained from the tests
indicate that there is a great variability in the mechanical
properties of adobe bricks. This is, to some extent,
expected due to the inherent inhomogeneity and
characteristic randomness of the material. Moreover, the
differences in the selection of raw materials, the mix
design and the production technique that occur between
different manufacturers can lead to significant variations
in the mechanical behaviour of adobes.
5. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE
RESEARCH AIMS
Adobe structures are encountered in almost every
region of the world and constitute an important part of
the international architectural heritage. Research has
shown that the restoration of these structures is currently
based on an empirical practice of traditional techniques
and non-engineering intervention methods. The absence
of international building codes and regulations referring
to adobe construction and the inadequate information
regarding the behaviour of the material indicate that
there is an imminent need for undertaking further
research. Laboratory tests on adobe bricks have revealed
that the mechanical properties of the material show
considerable variations. Therefore, additional tests and
an extensive physicochemical study of the material are
required in order to deduce valid conclusions. Future
work will aim to establish a reliable database of
information about the properties of adobe materials. It
will also focus on investigating the structural response of
adobe masonry assemblages and buildings, on
evaluating current restoration methods and on
determining effective strengthening techniques.
Furthermore, the calibration of computational structural
analysis methods accounting for the specific
characteristics of adobe will be examined. Through such
research, important steps towards understanding the
structural behaviour of mud-brick construction and
towards adopting conservation and restoration practices
based on engineering design will be made.
6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge financial
support from the Cyprus Research Promotion
Foundation, the Republic of Cyprus and the European
Regional Development Fund.