Stabilization of earthen plasters: Exchange of knowledge and experiences between Italy and Morocco

The preservation of earthen architectural heritage and earthen contemporary architecture asks for the experimentation and the development of proper materials and intervention techniques in order to prevent decays which may compromise the conservation of earthen heritage over time. This research program, thanks to a bilateral cooperation between the CNRST-UCA and CNR-ICVBC, aims to design and test earth-based plasters stabilized with traditional products (gypsum or lime), in order to acquire information necessary to develop more durable earthen mixtures to be applied both on existing and new buildings. The experimental campaign intends to assess the capacity of these stabilized plasters to guarantee an appropriate protection of earthen walls. The plasters have been tested at first in laboratory, then they have been applied on an earthen building in the outskirts of Marrakesh. The performances of the on site plasters are still under study and will not be presented in this paper.