Stone masonry: Past, present, and future

During this ENAC week, we will explore stone masonry construction techniques from various regions, explore whether and how stone masonry construction can contribute to a sustainable evolution of the built environment and engage in hands-on practice by building stone masonry walls in the laboratory. Students will gain an understanding of the structural and building physics performance of stone masonry, assess the CO2 footprint of these structures, and compare it to conventional structural systems through life cycle assessment. In the laboratory sessions, students will replicate historical construction practices, design prefabricated stone masonry elements and explore robotic construction techniques for stone masonry.

In the accompanying lectures, we will cover:

1 - Introduction to stone masonry

• Get an understanding of stone masonry in historical and modern contexts.
• The evolution of stone masonry craftsmanship and engineering across different cultures.
• Identification of stone masonry building typologies.

2 - Performance of stone masonry constructions

• The CO2 footprint of stone masonry structures and their potential for sustainable construction.
• Concepts on the prediction and assessment of the performance of stone masonry buildings.

3 - Structural behavior and seismic vulnerability

• The vulnerabilities of stone masonry that can lead to structural failures.
• The properties of various types of stone and their application in modern structural design.

4 - Experimental project

• Participants will build and test small and simple stone masonry walls in the lab and then compare the experimental results with numerical predictions.

The goals of this project-based course - next to fostering collaboration between the three disciplined - are to develop an understanding of some drivers and barriers for sustainable solutions in the built environment and an appreciation of how ancient construction techniques can be used as inspiration for sustainable development of the built environment while meeting new performance requirements and leveraging digital technologies.