New damage model for Lausanne Cathedral
The Executive Board has approved an ETH Research Grant of 603,400 francs to the D-BAUG research project “Protecting Sandstone Monuments”. The project develops a new approach to preserving historic cathedrals and castles made of sandstone against the consequences of weathering. The research groups of Professor Robert Flatt, Professor Andreas Wieser and Dr. Falk Wittel are involved in the project.
The research project “Protecting Sandstone Monuments” aims to improve the preservation of architectural monuments made of clay-rich sandstone. Such sandstone is less durable than other types of stone and is the basis of well-known historical monuments, especially on the Swiss Plateau. Notable examples include the cathedrals in Lausanne, Fribourg and Bern, Chillon Castle and many historical residential buildings. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the three research groups at D-BAUG aim to develop predictive tools to assess damage in response to local climate variability.
One part of the project is a virtual representation of the damage risks and water movements of Lausanne Cathedral, which is considered an important example of European Gothic architecture. The ETH Research Commission certifies that the project is of excellent scientific quality. The Executive Board approved funding for this project because the Lausanne Cathedral case study has the potential to become a model for other monuments around the globe.
ETH Grants is a competitive internal funding programme to promote world-class research with the potential to result in fundamental new knowledge or technologies and exciting discoveries. In total, the ETH Research Commission recommended 19 ETH grants to the Vice President for Research for funding this spring. Grants in excess of 500,000 Swiss francs must be approved by the Executive Board.
To the research groups:
- Physical Chemistry of Building Materials led by Professor Robert Flatt
- Geosensors and Engineering Geodesy led by Professor Andreas Wieser
- Complex Systems and Materials led by Dr. Falk Wittel