Reviving heritage with contemporary solutions for adobe wall rehabilitation

Adobe construction is a prolific and historically significant building technology, and the rehabilitation of masonry adobe structures is crucial for cultural heritage preservation. The present study proposes novel rehabilitation solutions for masonry construction, aiming to address rising damp and structural damage, two of the most common pathologies in adobe walls. The proposed rehabilitation solutions combine specially developed rehabilitation mortars and grouts with the use of reinforcement meshes. The physical and mechanical properties of the developed materials have been characterized, and adobe walls have been erected to conduct pilot tests and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed rehabilitation solutions at scale. The results show that natural hydraulic lime mortars can be formulated and used in rehabilitation works to reduce water intake and water front height, while also enhancing the mechanical performance of adobe walls to levels surpassing those of the original walls (prior to damage). The application of reinforcing meshes was shown to further increase the strength of adobe walls, deemed to serve as a complementary reinforcing solution in engineering projects where more demanding structural performances are required. •Novel rehabilitation methods for adobe construction have been investigated.•Natural hydraulic lime mortars and grouting solutions have been developed.•Real-scale adobe walls were built, and rising damp and mechanical strength analyzed.•Rising damp height was significantly reduced, and the structural performance was enhanced.