SEISMIC RESISTANT ADOBE WALLS AND EARTHEN FRAMEWORK VAULTS AT THE COMPAÑIA DE PISCO CHURCH IN PERU

Resumen

On the occasion of the reconstruction of masonry vaults of the cathedral of Lima in the 17th century, master builders demanded the need for construction systems that would lessen the impact of earthquakes on the building. This situation resulted in an expert debate to determine the nature of damage resulting from earthquakes, the problems validated as being due to horizontal forces, and possible seismic-resistant solutions to be adopted, leading to the eventual introduction of earthen framework vaults. Contemporaneously, La Compañía de Pisco church was destroyed by the earthquake of 1687, which is why the most suitable type of structure was analyzed for erecting the new building, based on the conclusions from the debate on the cathedral of Lima. Finally, both temples had their vaults rebuilt with frameworks in 1691 and 1725 respectively, supporting them on properly reinforced adobe walls. Three hundred years later, the Pisco area was shaken by an earthquake that destroyed La Compañía de Pisco church, which had endured until then, revealing the notions of earthquake-resistance that the builders had used in the earthen construction of churches, but which was for gotten in the modern consolidation interventions of this temple.