Traditional houses in the Sibiu Marginimea. Practical guide for restoration and maintenance

The authors are conf. dr. dr. arh. Liviu Gligor and Eng. Daniela Coman, from Sibiu. The work, published this month by Honterus Publishing House in Sibiu, is the subject of a cultural project funded by the UAR in the 2011 session, Forgotten Houses in the Sibiu Margin - Part II.

The publication is a plea for the preservation of traditional buildings and building techniques in the villages and includes chapters such as: "On the value of traditional houses and why they are worth preserving", "How can the traditional house and its annexes be reused", "What are the most common damages to a traditional house and how can they be easily and cheaply repaired", etc.

The concrete example of restoration presented at the end of the booklet concerns a house in Poplaca, showing comparative "before" and "after" restoration photos and providing explanations of the work carried out.

The booklet is distributed free of charge, primarily to residents who have traditional wooden houses typical of the Sibiu Margin, but also to local town halls. The houses have been identified through an inventory carried out by the Sibiu County Department of Culture and National Heritage - a partner in this project.

The final objective of the project is to encourage the owners of these houses to use them, helping them to repair and maintain them properly.

The guide can also be read online at

http://www.proiecte-culturale.ro/Indrumar-de-restaurare.aspx.