ASSESSING HISTORIC TIMBER ROOF STRUCTURES Methodology and Case Studies from a Belgian Viewpoint

The load bearing capacity of timber roof structures is looked at based on visual inspection, on site material investigation and structural analysis. This article focuses on the extent in which current European standards and guidelines are useful in the assessment of the actual safety, reflecting experience from several case studies. Attention goes to the applicability of standards for safety assessment of historical structures, limitations of numerical tools in the structural analysis, the impact of lack of knowledge, material data, geometry and other information. The Overall impressions reflect the findings from case studies treated in Romania, namely: the choir of the evangelical church at Drăuşeni, the house nr. 22 at Piaţa Mică at Sibiu and others located in Belgium, such as the Saint-Jacobs church at Leuven. 1