Page 32 - JCAU-7-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Moisture damage in plastered heritage building

1. Introduction

Anchang historical town, located in the Keqiao district of
Shaoxing city, Zhejiang Province, China, is a well-preserved
Jiangnan water town with a rich history. According to
historical records, its origins date back to the Northern
Song dynasty (960 – 1127). During the Ming (1368 – 1644)
and Qing (1644 – 1912) dynasties, Anchang historical
town played a significant political and commercial role
in Shaoxing by attracting numerous merchants. Presently,
many heritage buildings in Anchang (Figure 1) remain
well-preserved due to the dedicated efforts of local
government and residents to maintain and restore these
historic structures (Silva et al., 2017). Nevertheless, some
buildings continue to suffer from degradation issues such as
powdering, salt crust formation, and cracking. The humid Figure 1. Map of Anchang historical town. Source: Drawing by Jie Wei
climate and rainy seasons characteristic of the Jiangnan
region exacerbate these problems, causing dampness and et al., 2023). Some studies have further utilized logistic
mold, which can lead to material deterioration, structural regression modeling to predict heritage damage and
collapse, and decay. Prolonged sunlight exposure also evaluate the extent of building deterioration. Results from
accelerates the aging and cracking of building materials, such models highlight the significance of parameters such
detrimentally impacting both their structural integrity as building age, type, style, and value in predicting the
and appearance (Brambilla & Gasparri, 2021). Overall, degree of deterioration, revealing correlations between
the degradation of building materials is closely linked to these factors and heritage building deterioration (Chen
environmental factors. et al., 2023). Therefore, restoring the service life of these
To investigate these issues, this study focuses on two buildings requires comprehensive investigative analysis
historical buildings in Anchang historical town: (i) The and diagnoses of root causes and contributing factors.
former site of the Bank of China at Wangjiaqiao (BCW Beyond visual diagnosis of pathological manifestations, the
building) and (ii) the residence of He Gongsheng at Siqiao causes, origins, mechanisms, and appropriate treatment
(HGS building). These buildings were selected as case recommendations for these issues must also be thoroughly
studies to analyze the mechanisms of building deterioration detailed.
and develop strategies for their sustainable preservation. A questionnaire survey conducted among local
Recent structural assessments and analyses of historic architects in the holy city of Karbala, Iraq, explored the
masonry buildings have emphasized the importance relationship between architects as designers and various
of understanding their historical periods, construction factors influencing the city’s urban character (Farhan
processes, and geometric deformations. Structural et al., 2020). By examining the existing historical urban
analyses are typically combined with historical research, and architectural structures, the study uncovered major
site inspections, laser scanner surveys, and deformation challenges threatening the traditional cultural and
analysis to evaluate the effects of environmental factors architectural identity of the city. Top-down and bottom-up
such as landslides and identify the causes of damage and strategies were proposed to preserve the historic
deformation. For instance, a finite element model was architectural and urban characteristics of Karbala while
created by reconstructing the geometrically undeformed simultaneously reviving its social and cultural activities
configuration of an entire church, removing all and traditions (Farhan et al., 2022).
deformations identified through laser scanning (Sacco To further investigate the factors contributing to
et al., 2023). A qualitative-quantitative approach has also heritage deterioration, the research team collected data on
been used to assess building conditions by analyzing the regional environmental conditions, including temperature,
photographic records, preparing damage identification humidity, sunlight, wind speed, hydrology, and geography.
tables, and classifying severe pathological manifestations Tests were conducted on deteriorated sections of heritage
using the gravity, urgency, and tendency (GUT) method. buildings’ walls to gather specific data on temperature
The necessity of preserving historical heritage is and humidity, among other factors. By employing
underscored by the relationship between observed façade statistical and inductive methods, the team identified the
damage and the overall degradation of buildings (Souza root causes of the deterioration (Karakale et al., 2023;

Volume 7 Issue 2 (2025) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.4606