The structural analysis of a complex roofing system – the early XX-th century Stock Exchange in Timisoara – has brought forward a paradoxical situation: this early modern building displayed an amazing collage of various traditional typologies of timber roofing, connected in order to produce a spectacular aesthetic effect of roof line. Further studies of XVIII-th, XIX-th and early XX-th century roofing structures presented an interesting evolution: until mid XIX-th century the roofs were produced by craft guilds, influenced not only by their practical knowledge but also by symbolic and traditional knowledge manifested in the choice of peculiar geometric traces (sacred geometries) not unlike the famous Chinese roofing principles, described in “Yingzao Fashi” manual. Starting with the end of the XIX-th century, the guild system vanished along with the symbolic and traditional meanings, leaving the practical knowledge completely independent – ready to be used for spectacular and aesthetic purposes (as in Art Nouveau and Secession buildings). Well into the XX-th century, even that knowledge vanished, leaving a simplified, standardized and efficient form of roof framing.Paradoxically, well into the mid XX-th century, an unconventional thinker, Buckminster Fuller, was able to generate a new kind of “roofing system”, the “geodesic dome” and the space frame structure, taking inspiration from the same kind of holistic and universal approach which animated the old craftsmen. Our investigations highlighted the overwhelming importance of a holistic and symbolic world view (“weltanschaung”) in the making of such specialized structures as the roofing frames, at least until the mid XIX-th century. A complex assessment of such structures must take into consideration these elements in order to fully understand and properly conserve and restore them for the benefit of further generations

Historic timber roof structures represent some of the most complex structural solutions of Europe’s history. They were built, until the early 19th century, in a close connection with their surrounding and the building they belong to, according to the knowledge and philosophy of craftsmen. In recent years, many studies tried to find a way to properly assess them and identify their value and vulnerability. However, historic roof structure assessment methodologies evaluate only their structural features and state of conservation. Due to the complexity of historic roof structures, the study is proposing a new, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary assessment methodology and procedure, which will highlight the value of a historic roof structure by taking also their urban context, architectural importance, symbolic features, and their influence on the behavior of historic buildings.

Timisoara is a growing city in the western part of Romania, in a seismic area, with a lot of masonry buildings with historical and cultural value, with interesting structural elements such as vaults, arches, slabs, walls, that were affected by earthquakes, subsidence of foundations, negative human actions or lack of interventions. Masonry historical structures in Banat seismic area present particular failure mechanisms, so there is a need for new, modern, fast, easy-to-apply and reversible consolidation methods. With this type of methods is possible to assure the local and global resistance, ductility, stability and rigidity for historical buildings. This article shows the consolidation methods that were applied on the buildings Sf. Gheorghe 3 and 4, in the historical centre of Timisoara, on masonry structures with historical value. The solutions that were applied are using new, innovative fibre-reinforced composite materials, in order to repair the existing damages and prevent further ones. The consolidation solutions with these new composite materials reduce the buildings vulnerability and present the advantage of being fast and easy to be executed.

Extreme actions represent a high risk for buildings belonging to historic urban areas and archaeological sites. Because of the conformation of the buildings, the low quality of used materials and the current state of conservation, these buildings tend to be very vulnerable to horizontal forces generated during earthquakes and terrorist attacks. This article analyses the mechanisms caused by extreme actions that are capable to generate a considerable degree of damage or even collapse of international cultural heritage buildings from historic urban centers and sites.