Heritage value of building materials: Former Workers Hospital of Maudes, Madrid (Spain) case study

Abstract

Building materials used at the Former Workers Hospital of Maudes, Madrid (Spain) were studied. The study addressed the information both achieved from documental resources and characterization techniques. Documentary work has enabled to know about the architect thought, the ideology of the project or the grounds that conditioned such materials selection; it also permitted to learn about materials provenance and/or its elaboration. Analytical studies provided information about petrographic features of the materials and their composition; limestone provenance was confirmed and new data on material manufacture were provided. Such information, which deserves to be known and disseminated, provides a significant heritage value to materials that shape cultural assets. Studies with a multidisciplinary approach represent a commitment to improve the knowledge and conservation of heritage.