Moisture-Related Problems in Historical City Centres: A GIS-Based Workflow for Decay Assessment and Treatment

Within the energy assessment and retrofitting of historical buildings, a key role is played by understanding and counteracting moisture-related problems, which might result from a variety of sources, including vapour condensation, soil water content, rain infiltration and/or hygroscopic materials. As a matter of fact, these problems seriously affect both the occupants’ well-being and the structures’ performance and durability, and thus call for effective and efficient management. In the case of historical city centres, the recurring similarities of construction techniques, environmental surroundings, maintenance conditions and protective regulations require coordinated methods and tools of analysis and treatment that might optimize data collection, investigation procedures and action planning. In this regard, an outstanding paradigm shift is enabled by digital technologies for survey, elaboration and decision-making. Within this framework, the paper discusses a workflow for decay assessment and treatment of moisture-related problems, based on geographic information systems (GIS) and close-range photogrammetry (CRP) techniques, with application to the facades of the historical area of Sassi di Matera, South Italy, in order to support the identification of anomalies and causes. The results are meant to validate an affordable and reliable pathway for city administrators and professionals in managing energy efficiency and sustainability of historical urban centres.