Preliminary Structural Analysis for the Intervention of the Tabladitas Chapel, Jujuy Province

Abstract

The Tabladitas Chapel, located in the northern region of of the Jujuy province (Argentina) is an historic architecture which, in present days, exhibits a damage process in its load-bearing walls made of adobe masonry. Such condition has raised concerns about its structural safety and has encouraged a project for its intervention and preservation. This paper outlines characteristics of the structural analysis of the Tabladitas Chapel for such project, including the characterization of its vernacular construction techniques in a finite element model. A non-linear static analysis of the architecture is presented, which was contrasted with both empirical experience in the field of conservation and observations made in the building. As a result, the diagnosis about the structural behavior of the building was validated in view of its intervention project.