Cais das Colunas' pre-deconstrution (1997) diagnosis

Abstract

The Cais das Colunas is a limestone quay erected, after the great earthquake of 1755, in the Royal Square of the Portuguese capital. Due to the expansion of the underground lines, the coastal monument was partially removed in 1997, in order to construct a tunnel beside its foundations. On the summer of 2008 the historie quay was finally reconstructed. The purpose of this article is to present the main results of the studies carried out before the deconstruction, when the main pathologies were identified, classified and mapped. The effects to the weathering forms of the quay, of its stone material heterogeneity and of the environmental conditions, of this particularly polluted coastal area, are also discussed. (Alexandra de Carvalho Antunes)