Introduction

STREMAH 2013 is the 13th International Conference on Studies, Repairs and Maintenance of Heritage Architecture. The meeting, which has become a major international event, has taken place on a regular basis since the first conference started in Florence (1989) and continued in Seville (1991), Bath (1993), Crete (1995), San Sebastian (1997), Dresden (1999), Bologna (2001), Halkidiki (2003), Malta (2005), Prague (2007), Tallinn (2009) and Tuscany (2011).

Modern society exerts considerable strain on our architectural heritage, partly due to the increase of population and the associated demands on the built environment, and also because of the pernicious effects of pollution. The difficulties and costs of repairs and maintenance contribute to the neglect of important buildings in times of economic stress. It is hence important that our research addresses not only technical questions, but solutions that can be implemented in practice, where social and economic considerations may be paramount. The STREMAH conference fulfils the important function of bringing together experts from different disciplines from all over the world to discuss problems of common interest and put forward solutions.

The STREMAH conference over the years has addressed interdisciplinary topics and evolved into a meeting that attracts a wide range of expertise. It has also produced many outstanding contributions published in the conference books distributed throughout the world. Furthermore, papers published since 1993 are available in the WIT eLibrary (http://library.witpress.com), where they constitute a permanent record of the most significant work in the field.

The success of the conference is due both to the importance given today to architectural heritage and the high quality of the presentations at the meetings. Each volume has gathered the most recent advances in research and up to date studies of heritage buildings. This has resulted in STREMAH becoming the most important conference of its kind.