Raw Earth Construction and Restoration Technique: Experimental Protocol and Interventions in the Historic Village of Al Jazeera Al Hamra (United Arab Emirates)

The evolving relationship between contemporary practice and inherited structures necessitates sustainable strategies for the preservation and reinforcement of heritage assets, safeguarding their functionality overtime. This study investigates the mechanical properties of traditional and innovative mortar-basedmaterials for the repair of architectural elements, with a particular focus on artistic stuccoes and decorative features. The research aims to reduce their vulnerability to environmental, seismic, and anthropogenic factors, including pollution and climate change, which accelerate material degradation and ageing. The mix designs of artificial stone materials appropriate for the proposed strategies make use of natural rocks (e.g., limestone, alabastrine gypsum) and different constituents (e.g., vegetable sisal fibres, siliceous/siliceous-aluminous pozzolana); innovative raw earth-based mortars are also studied for plastering, rendering and repair of earthen buildings. In particular, a minimum of three specimens foreach mix design will be tested through flexural mechanical tests in an undergoing phase of the research and using a displacement-controlled testing machine, following a standardised protocol –scientifically recognised at an European level– specifically developed for mortars (elements that exhibit material affinity with the interventions addressed in this study). The results will then be comparatively assessed,considering not only the structural performance but also the material compatibility for potential field applications. Finally, with reference to a case study, a design approach is presented allowing for interventions on existing structures and the creation of new architectural shapes in an intimate, seamless dialogue: emblematic –following the example of San Francesco di Assisi– of an essentiality able of communicate with clarity and power.