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PROTECTIVE STRUCTURES FOR THE
CONSERVATION AND PRESENTATION OF
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES
A paper presented at the workshop of the 'Contribution of Science and Technology in the
Conservation of Cultural Heritage in the Mediterranean Basin', Tunis, une !""#
Zaki Aslan
$%aslan&ucl%ac%uk
Conservation Arcitect! "or#an$Cana#a
Instit%te o& Arcaeolo'(! Universit( Colle'e Lon#on! )*+), Gor#on S-%are! Lon#on
.C*H /P0! Unite# 1in'#o2
A3stract
A critical review of the effectiveness of shelters or enclosed uildin!s as a means of
preservin! in situ archaeolo!ical features is re"uired. #his paper identifies some of the key
prolems related to site preservation and the use of uilt structures$ as well as an assessment
of selected e%amples of oth shelters and enclosures. &rom these e%amples a ran!e of
prolems$ from practical to aesthetic$ are identified. #he need to estalish !uidelines and
plannin! procedures for desi!n and implementation for future pro'ects is hi!hli!hted and
su!!estions for future study and desi!n modification are !iven.
Intro#%ction
My research at the (nstitute of Archaeolo!y$ )niversity Colle!e *ondon$ addresses the issue
of conservin! and presentin! archaeolo!ical sites under protective structures when these are
considered to e the est in situ measures for preventive conservation. (ts aim is to develop
methodolo!ies and approaches related to this issue. #he research further aims at estalishin!
an information network to share e%periences related to this issue and to make availale all
adverse information relatin! to intervention pro'ects$ particularly in the Mediterranean
countries. A similar initiative has recently een undertaken y the (nstituto Centrale del
+estauro in +ome$ (taly. ,owever$ its aim is confined to collectin! and e%aminin!
information on shelters uilt on (talian archaeolo!ical sites.
Te Pro3le2
#he deterioration of e%cavated sites would e inevitale if measures for appropriate protection
were not taken in e%posed environmental conditions. Archaeolo!ical remains that have
reached a state of e"uilirium in the uried environment ecome vulnerale to weatherin!
factors when they are uncovered. #hus$ various approaches and solutions have emer!ed to
protect e%cavated archaeolo!ical sites. Amon! these solutions$ which ran!e etween reurial
and reconstruction$ is the erection of permanent shelters or enclosures on e%cavated areas.
Shelterin! or enclosin! a site within a new structure is$ also$ often considered as an
advanta!eous measure in presentin! the site and makin! it accessile to the pulic. ,owever$
the ran!e of prolems in conservin! sites under protective structures varies widely.
-evelopin! a methodolo!y for shelter desi!n has received little attention. (ndeed$ there is a
need for a methodolo!y which primarily specifies protection measures and re"uirements for
the conservation of the various types of in situ material remains$ their settin!$ and the values
held therein. (n fact$ the desi!n of a new structure on an archaeolo!ical site should e thou!ht
of as a research process that aims at respondin! to the physical material conservation needs as
well as to the presentation re"uirements for visitors to the site. #herefore$ desi!n should
consider the enhancement of the physical and environmental conte%t$ use and visitor
understandin! and$ aove all$ improved and stale environmental conditions for the
archaeolo!ical materials and structures themselves. Collectively$ satisfaction of these
conditions would ensure the prevention or minimisin! of the decay of sites so as to prolon!
their life and present them accessily to the pulic. ,owever$ in practice this policy has not
proved to e an easy task to achieve.
#he followin! selected e%amples will illustrate the !rowin! need for a more cautious
approach that responds to all the re"uirements of site shelterin!. (n fact$ learnin! from
previous e%periences in this area is imperative in addressin! issues that have often een
overlooked in the specification of the re"uirements and desi!n of individual protective
uildin!s on archaeolo!ical sites. #hese protective uildin!s may e open.air shelters or
totally closed uildin!s /enclosures0.
Selters
Shelters are preventive conservation measures of immediate effect. #hey are usually
concerned with keepin! water away from the site materials$ primarily in an attempt to prevent
moisture from causin! physical dama!e prolems.
Simple shelters are usually metal structures$ timer constructions$ or tensile structures.
Corru!ated steel/fire!lass sheets or ceramic tiles are common roofin! materials for these
structures. Such shelters are usually uilt simply to protect the site from rain and sunli!ht.
Many of them were uilt for temporary purposes ut have turned out to e permanent
uildin!s on site. (n addition$ maintenance is re"uired for these types of shelters ecause of
their vulneraility to natural dama!e. -ama!e caused due to lack of maintenance can e
illustrated y e%amples of shelters in Crete: 1iro 2hani /&i!ure 30 and the recently dismantled
shelter at 4illa -youisos in 2nossos /&i!ure 50. #he latter$ which caused dama!e to the
!ypsum and mosaics underneath it$ due to water leaka!e in the roof$ is to e replaced y a
newly desi!ned shelter.
Fi'%re *4 A selter at te site o& Niro 1ani! Crete5 /6720
Fi'%re 64 Te site o& Villa D(o%iso%s in 1nossos5 /7320
A newly uilt shelter on the site of the 8y9antine church in :etra$ in Jordan$ is composed of
an advanta!eous li!ht.wei!ht space.truss construction. ,owever$ this new shelter can e
reco!nised in the cultural landscape from a !reat distance and was therefore criticised for its
intrusive impact on the surroundin! environment /&i!ure 30.
Fi'%re )4 Te selter at te 7(8antine c%rc in Petra! "or#an5 /;320
At the <= million years old palaeonotolo!ical site of *ark >uarry in Australia$ a flat
penta!onal steel roof with central skyli!ht was erected in 3<6< with the aim$ a!ain$ of keepin!
the site dry. #he shelter did not prevent wind.driven rain from floodin! the site$ and$ ein!
open on the side$ it did not prevent dust from e%aceratin! the crackin! of fossil remains.
Additionally$ the shelter did not prevent thermal shocks durin! summer rain storms. &urther
dama!e to the fossil ed resulted from the 35.support columns set in a concrete foundation.
Also$ prior to the later fencin! of the site$ animals such as kan!aroos affected the surface y
scratchin! and leavin! droppin!s and corrosive urine. (n addition$ prior to the erection of a
walkway under the roof$ visitors had walked on the surface itself. (n every aspect of the
desi!n of the shelter$ as in many shelters of this type$ there were deficiencies which could
have een anticipated in the desi!n phase. Solutions to prolems which should have een
foreseen were formulated$ too late$ at a later sta!e after dama!e had occurred.
Another e%ample of a simple shelter in the Middle ?ast is at the presar!onic palace site in
Mari$ Syria /&i!ure =0$ where a coverin! of modular elements of plastic on metal elements
was erected with the ase mounted on parts of the ori!inal structure usin! concrete locks.
:rolems there included the rapid dryin! of the interior walls of the palace which in many
parts turned into sand@ draina!e@ and the passa!e of children and animals on the roof.
#herefore$ very re!ular maintenance was much re"uired.
Fi'%re ,4 Te site o& 9ari! S(ria5 /6720
(t could e said that most of the shelters descried aove were$ conventionally$ erected from a
felt need to Aprovide a roofA over a site. #here has een a more recent attempt in shelter desi!n
which has adopted a more rational$ reasoned approach to desi!n. #he Betty Conservation
(nstitute aimed to develop a li!htwei!ht modular shelter which was easy to erect and could e
temporary if desired .. the A,e%a shelter.A #he ,e%a shelter was developed in :aphos$ Cyprus$
and has also een further tested at &ort Selden in 1ew Me%ico /&i!ure C0. #he framework is
of aluminium tues and the faric of tri.laminated :4C with open.knit aero.te%tile panels for
the sides. #he evaluation of its effectiveness was undertaken in 3<<3 on the &ort Selden Site.
#here$ protective indices were determined y structurin! meteorolo!ical parameters and
temperature variaility on two identical adoe test walls inside and outside the shelter.
Althou!h the desi!n of the shelter proved to e aesthetically low profile and neutral in colour$
it did not provide complete environmental protection. -espite the fact that footin!s on the
surface do not re"uire su!rade e%cavation and can e cast in situ$ structural movement at the
&ort Selden site occurred when the soil underneath the footin!s was wet and slippery. #he
,e%a shelter could also e affected y liftin! with hi!h wind which necessitated additional
reinforcin! ars in the structure. Moreover$ this type of shelter cannot stand vertical loadin!
resultin! from snow in cold climates.
Fi'%re :4 Te He;a selter in Pa<os! C(<r%s5 /7=20
(n summary$ in many of these open.air shelters$ it is likely that their enefits are more
psycholo!ical than actual.
Enclos%res
?nclosures$ in contrast to shelters$ have taken several forms. Amon! temporary structures on
on!oin! e%cavations are pneumatic forms which$ in spite of their relative comple%ity$ prove
efficient where short term protection is re"uired. A pre.formed continuous memrane of
plastic sealed around its ase and with air locked entrances can e kept inflated y small
!asoline or electrically powered fans with alanced ventilation /Deaver 3<630. Simpler
methods of temporary enclosures made of polythene sheets and wooden frameworks can e
achieved in such cases too.
Several Madaa Churches in Jordan were enclosed in order to present mosaic remains to the
pulic. :rotective enclosures were uilt in such a way as to !ive the impression of traditional
church architecture /&i!ure 70. #he uildin! over the Apostles church site$ which cannot now
e distin!uished from the ori!inal remains$ consists of a concrete structure with traditional
stone claddin!. (t is easy to comment critically on this practice since it does not conform with
the concept of distin!uishiility set y known conservation charters and ethics.
Fi'%re =4 Te selter >%n#er constr%ction? over te 9a#a3a c%rc in "or#an5 /C<20
At the temple of Apollo ?pikourious at 8ass$ Breece /#heolakis 3<<30$ thermal fluctuations
affected the ar!illios veins of the limestone causin! crackin! and dama!e. #herefore$ in 3<;6$
a canopy with anti.seismic scaffoldin! to protect the site from weather conditions and
earth"uakes was erected and the measurement and assessment of environmental
environmental factors proceeded to control the microclimate. +ecordin! of the temperature
and relative humidity data were taken. #he site has een monitored since then$ and
improvements to the conservation conditions have een achieved.
:reventive measures in enclosed structures are usually concerned with controllin! the relative
humidity and temperature around the archaeolo!ical materials. )nlike artefacts within
museums or in the interior of e%istin! uildin!s$ controllin! the environment of e%posed
archaeolo!ical remains is comple%. Ene may note the proposal of ?urocare ?urouild for a
protective uildin! to cover the ,ammar Cathedral in 1orway /Apeland 3<<30. At ,ammar$
amon! other climatolo!ical factors$ the ma'or prolem was caused y frost dama!e to the
historic stone material. #he aim$ there$ was to develop a method for simplifyin! the desi!n
methodolo!y of protective enclosures. :ro'ects of this type are important to the development
of preventive conservation measures in this area$ ut their study results are often not
disseminated. Another pro'ect with similar scope was the erection of a protective air.
conditioned shell over the column of Marcus Aurilius in +ome /8runo 3<;60 due to the
polluted environment. #here$ the control of relative humidity and temperature was also
essential. (n these e%amples$ !lass panes technolo!y was an essential element of the research
pro!ramme. #he research further considered cleanin! e"uipment and technical solutions for
the anti.reflective !lass panels. A!ain$ information on results of this study are not made
availale to practitioners.
#he &ishourne site near Chichester in ?n!land /&i!ure 60 is a classic e%ample where
important +oman mosaics were presented in an enclosed modern display that formed part of
the restored suterranean foundations$ lined out at !round level in the archaeolo!ical park.
?levated walkways with carefully located footin!s were desi!ned for visitors$ and the displays
are hi!hly effective. :rolems developed later and included risin! damp and iolo!ical
!rowth due to !round water. #he lowerin! of the !round water tale y dry wells or other
means was not desirale ecause of the deferential settlement potential of the foundations.
#his situation illustrates that even when sites are presented in a carefully controlled
environment$ they are not e%empt from further deterioration prolems that arise later. (t
further illustrates that constant monitorin! is important.
Fi'%re @4 Fis3o%rne site! En'lan#5 /7320
At the :eterorou!h rock art site in Entario$ Canada /8ahn et al. 3<<C0$ an enclosure uilt in
3<;= has received several criticisms in recent years. Ma'or issues included the uncertainties in
the plannin! phase oth aout the function of the enclosure and in identifyin! potential causes
of deterioration. -ama!e to the rock art surface has resulted from caron dio%ide from
precipitation and human visitation. #his has caused the dissolution of the calcitic surface. (n
the e!innin!$ however$ conservators thou!ht that acidity of rain water alone was the cause of
this deterioration. Ether prolems were related to the materials used in the new construction
and the effects of condensation. #his case is notale for it includes not only the technical
aspects of presentation and environmental control ut also ethical prolems concerned with
enclosin! rock.art sites in a manner that rele!ates them to the status of museum o'ects and$
so$ mi!ht alter their cultural meanin! indelily.
:ia99a Armerina in Sicily /Minissi 3<730 is an e%ample of a structure$ the first of its kind$
which has een currently reviewed. (n the 3<CFs$ a modern AastractA structure enclosed rooms
of the mosaic villa around a courtyard. ?levated metal walkways were installed over the
ancient walls. #ranslucent panels of plastic$ attached to metal framin!$ were uilt$ with
louvres in wall areas for ventilation. (n some areas$ suspended panels of plastic created flat
ceilin!s to reduce heat transformation and !lare. #hese$ however$ proved to e insufficient to
control solar radiation and heat. -iscoloration of the panels and material failure of the e%terior
sheathin! occurred due to sunli!ht. Additionally$ summer visitors complained aout hi!h
temperatures despite the ventilation desi!n.
At the Montreal Museum of Archaeolo!y and ,istory in >ueec$ Canada /&i!ure ;0$ remains
of an e%cavated crypt area were left in.situ and form part of the display at :ointe.G.Calliere. A
complete structure has een uilt on all sides to ensure its lon!.term preservation. #his
structure is itself enclosed in the museum uildin!. Althou!h temperature remained stale$
there was a fluctuation in relative humidity which enhanced the formation of salts$ which$
upon crystallisation$ were disinte!ratin! the surface of the crypt. +elative humidity is well
elow that at which sodium chloride$ the ma'or e%istin! salt$ crystallises from solution$ so a
ma'or prolem was presented as a never.endin! mi!ration of salts. Eptions included stoppin!
the water mi!ratin! to the surface and keepin! the re"uired relative humidity aove 6CH$
which mi!ht e too hi!h for visitor comfort and could also introduce iodeterioration. #his
last option$ however$ was implemented in a similar situation at the Archaeolo!ical Museum at
4er!ina in Breece in order to protect mural paintin!s /-imacopoulos 3<<C0.
Fi'%re A4 Te arcaeolo'ical re2ains in te cr(<t o& te 9ontreal 9%se%2 &or Histor(
an# Arcaeolo'(5 /7620
Another e%ample of a pre.desi!ned controlled environment is the +oman 8ath Museum in
,eerlen$ ,olland /8oekwi't 3<;C0. Condensation and$ mainly$ a salt prolem of AharmlessA
calcium sulphate /!ypsum0 occurred later and was merely an ethical prolem that had to e
removed chemically usin! ?-#A paste. &ortunately$ there was an easy solution to this salt
prolem. 1evertheless$ this case shows that environment control measures did not take
conservation needs into account and that$ as a result$ condensation and salt formation could
not e prevented at this site.
A more hi!h.tech e%ample of an enclosure is the intervention at the Cathedral of Atri in (taly
/Scichilone 3<;C0. (t consists of four oversi9ed showcases offerin! a strictly controlled
environment on and around e%cavated remains that are permanently displayed to the pulic.
*aminated !lass panes use a thermostatically controlled system that can heat the !lass
electrically to prevent condensation. :4C pipes provide for ventilation throu!h filters$ so
preventin! contamination. A pro!rammed timer in the panes was installed to operate anti
condensation. *i!htin! of low volta!e fluorescent lamps was provided for the visitor display.
#his case has proved to e successful so far.
And$ as a final e%ample$ the Church of Eur *ady in 8ru!es$ 8el!ium /-e Ditte 3<;C0. ,ere
environmental parameters were controlled and mirrors to help visitors to have a complete
view of the paintin!s were arran!ed with spot li!htin! of standard chromatic inde% and )4
ran!e. #his is another successful e%ample which considered responses to conservation and
interpretation needs.
(t can e seen that the desi!n$ performance$ and maintenance of enclosures are very site
specific. ,owever$ learnin! from previous e%periences$ such as those mentioned aove$ is
very essential. #he e%amples further illustrate the necessity$ in the early desi!n phase of these
structures$ to allocate a considerale part of the conservation ud!et to continuous
maintenance and to necessary modifications.
Concl%sion
-espite the fact that conservation is case.specific$ these e%amples illustrate that for the enefit
of future pro'ects$ it is important that the e%periences !ained e documented and assessed.
#hey further illustrate the need for a thorou!h scientific methodolo!y that will serve
architectural approaches to the desi!n of shelters and enclosures on archaeolo!ical herita!e
sites. :lannin! for a lon!.term commitment to miti!ate the effects of time is essential as is the
commitment at the very early plannin! sta!es to maintain and monitor the site and structure.
Additionally$ we have seen that the impact of protective structures on archaeolo!ical sites is
not always eneficial. #his$ too$ re"uires documentation.
#his research pro!ramme further intends to develop !uidelines and plannin! procedures
which consider the uni"ue environmental "ualities of archaeolo!ical sites. (t is hoped that it
will help practitioners in assessin! re"uirements and site mana!ement options in the different
climatic re!ions. (t will create an empirical ase for future strate!ies in archaeolo!ical site
mana!ement which can deal with protection as a preservation measure and a presentation
issue at the same time.
AcknoBle#'e2ents
#he study is supported y the Conservation and +estoration Centre in Jordan$ a centre which
was under estalishment in :etra y the Jordanian Bovernment and the Berman #echnical Co.
operation /B#I0$ and which has lately een patronised y ,+, Crown :rince ,assan.
( am !rateful to -r. Clifford :rice of the (nstitute of Archaeolo!y for his continuous support
and advice and to -r. :aulette McManus for her help in discussin! this paper and advisin!
consistently on the research.
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#he methods$ techni"ues$ and conclusions found in individual papers are the work and
responsiility of the author of the paper$ and should in no way e thou!ht to represent the
opinion or endorsement of either the Journal of Conservation K Museum Studies$ the (nstitute
of Archaeolo!y$ or )niversity Colle!e *ondon. 1o liaility or contract is accepted or implied
y the pulication of these data.
Copyri!ht M Iaki Aslan$ 3<<6. All ri!hts reserved.
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