Relationship between Moisture Content and Decay of Walls in Ancient Building: A Case of Wat Nivet Thammaprawat, Ayutthaya

Abstract

Thailand has a long history and great heritage in culture, tradition and language, as well as historical buildings and artifacts which are replete with stories and memories that show the legacy generations have created. However, changes in the environment have occurred in many ways. The climate patterns have become more severe. Also, there have been changes in people’s consumption habits, including using inappropriate methods and materials to renovate and restore old buildings. These changes have led to excessive amount of heat and moisture in buildings, which accelerate the deterioration of historical buildings. This research aims to assess the damage and measure the moisture content in the walls of historic buildings at Wat Niwet Thammaprawat, located in Bang Pa-in, Ayutthaya. The results obtained to analyze the relationship between the level of damage found at the building interior wall surface and the amount of moisture content within the interior walls. Damage assessment of the interior wall surfaces is carried out by sight and the deterioration is divided into three levels: level 1: wall surfaces show no damage; level 2: wall surfaces show some blisters; and level 3: wall surfaces’ paint is peeling off. The method of measurement is the determination of the wall conductivity using high-frequency electric capacitance equipment of which the electricity is passed through the walls to measure the moisture content. The measurements carried out by the equipment show the moisture levels on the interior surfaces of the north and south walls. The results were analyzed in order to find the relationship between two variables, the damage levels and the corresponding moisture content. The results showed that the walls with blistering surface and the paint peeling off (level 3) are found at the height of 0.80 meter above the ground. From the measurements, it was found that the northwestern walls have the most severe damages and the moisture contents are between 45-96%. Less damage were found on the southeastern walls, with the moisture contents between 11%-48%. There is a strong relationship between the level of damages and the moisture content on the northwestern walls, but the relationship is reversed for the southeastern walls which to be further investigated.