Weathering of building stones and its relationship to the sustainable management of the aggregate resources in Gaza Strip, Palestine

In the last decade, the Gaza Strip witnessed a revolutionary breakthrough in the field of building construction associated with the political development in the aftermath of Oslo Agreement. Towers (buildings composed of more than five floors) were, for the first time being built in the region in its modern history. Environmental conditions have deteriorating weathering impacts on the buildings of about 40 years old. This article aims at investigating such impacts and their features as well as the different types of weathering on the buildings. Chemical, mechanical and biological parameters of weathering were reported to work together in the old buildings. Differential weathering was also reported in some buildings either within the stone itself or the cementing material between the stone blocks. The geographic location along the coast is believed to speed up the weathering process as aerosols and rainwater contain high chloride content, which in turn reacts with the stone components. Baladi stones show higher resistance to weathering than the Israeli stone-type. Weathering rate was calculated and found to have an average of about 0.1 cm per annum. Some measures are taken to protect the buildings from the weathering attack; these include 2–3 layers (about 1 cm thick each) of plastering for about 1 m of the lower part of the external walls of the buildings. These measures are not commonly applied, and if so, they show several types of weathering. Taking protective measures is a necessary step for better sustainable management of the aggregate resources in the Gaza Strip.