Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 39. (1986)
Archive Buildings and the Conservation of Archival Material. An Expert Meeting, held in Vienna, Austria October 30 - November 1, 1985 - USÓN, Cristina: Adaptation of Ancient Buildings as Archives Repositories in Spain
Adaptation of Ancient Buildings in Spain 225 in the administrative and public areas, sometimes even separating the two in independent buildings. No matter which solution is used, special attention must be given to the foundations and structure of the building. The manufacturers of the mobile shelving system specify that the floors of the archives storage blocks should be able to support a weight of 1000 kg per square metre per storey. This load calculation is much lower than figures previously given. 2.2.1 This solution has been used in nearly half the buildings. The first of the independent archives to be inaugurated, the Logrono archives opened in 1983, only preserved the neoclassical entrance, completing the rest of the facade in the same style. In Huesca the interior of the 19th century Santa Rosa School was demolished. Scaffolding was used to hold up the original outer walls while the new structure was built from the ground up; temporary braces were installed where the new structure could later be attached. The four storeys of the original building were increased to six for the new strongroom. The archives of Teruel are housed in a building which was constructed as a primary school in 1911. Besides the facade, some internal structural elements were preserved, such as a row of brick pillars in the center, which serve as a support for some of the beams and frames which run perpendicular to the facade. The capacity of the building was expanded by increasing the number of floors and adding new basement areas. Exterior walls were reinforced and necessary drainage installed before the basements were built. A floor-bearing steel structure which is independent of the outer walls bears the weight of the strongrooms. Finally, the missing bricks were replaced in the outer walls. An extreme case is that of Cuenca, where nothing but ruins were left of the ancient prison used by the Inquisition. 2.2.2 Jaen’s Historical Archives occupy the ancient college of Santo Domingo. It was essential to maintain two artistic elements: a 17th century cloister and a mannerist entrance. The rest of the building was in good condition so it was decided to conserve it. Moreover, municipal ordinances barred the increase of constructed volume. Visitors enter through the mannerist doorway, cross the patio and have access only to the first floor, around the patio. The administrative area is in this first floor and in the second one. The strongrooms, with a capacity of 12 km, communicate by a fire resistent hallway. This area was given a new foundation to ensure a proper load banning capacity. In Zamora the archives will occupy a 14th century grain market. Because of its few and small windows it has been necessary to keep open a small central patio (the only natural light source) and to enclose the walls with special and insonorised glass. Mitteilungen, Band 39 15
