Historic Roofless Masonry Structures: The role of Environmental Factors that Contribute to Decay and Collapse

Heritage roofless structures, while being invaluable heritage assets, face considerable risk of deterioration. This risk is usually increased when there is extensive water ingress and moisture in the structure. This paper focuses on masonry heritage buildings and ruins in England and has stemmed from an extensive literature review to identify recurrent causes of the disintegration of these structures. Researchers from the University of West London have processed the available literature to create a database that identifies taxonomies of buildings and scientific paths relating to ruinous historic structures. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research, focusing on the acquisition of additional data on the behaviour of masonry structures under varying environmental conditions, emphasising the potential implementation of advanced non-destructive testing techniques.