Study and restoration of the Seville City Hall façade

• Characterisation of compounds added to and formed on the stone surface.
• Determination of damage processes and the state of decay.
• Use of modern and traditional experimental methods.
• Proposal for restoration materials based on experimental results.
• Enrichment of the field’s knowledge of historical construction techniques.

Before restoring the Seville City Hall façade, a study of the original materials and the compounds added or formed was performed. The stone is fine-grained carbonate rock. Gypsum and mortars were used to restore stone fragments. A black crust was also found the wall was covered with an acrylic resin. A layer of lime on the surface was also detected. The restoration was intended to preserve the artistic quality and uniqueness of this building. The cleaning, reinforcing and innovatively consolidating and protecting the stone using suitable materials similar to those used in the original construction are described in this study.