Stones of Rio de Janeiro in its Built Heritage

This paper aims to bringing attention at the necessity of interdisciplinarity of architectural and heritage conservation projects, specifically regarding the historical and current use of natural stones. Despite of being long lasting building materials, natural stones are affected by alteration processes, naturally, as they are exposed to the environment and more rapidly when in use, especially in urban areas. Their degradation patterns and rate depend also on their mineralogical composition and geological history, which is the main object of study of geologists. Being part of almost all the material cultural heritage, the proper knowledge of the building stones, their characteristics and source is fundamental to the success of conservation interventions and should be documented. Nevertheless, the lack of documentation on stones of the built heritage is a common issue around the world. To address this problem and raise awareness of the importance of natural stones characterization and documentation, the Heritage Stones Subcomission, of the International Union of Geological Sciences, established the Global Heritage Stone Resource designation for stones significant to the human culture. Most of the designated stones so far are from European countries, but in Brazil, particularly in Rio de Janeiro, there are stones whose significance deserve to be internationally recognized. This paper shows an overview of the most important stones of Rio de Janeiro, their widespread use, their relationship with the landscape of the city and its social and urban development, and the urgent need to know and care for those stones to preserve the cultural heritage.

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ISBN
978-1-944214-31-9