Structural Damage and Remedial Measures for the Temples of Angkor, Cambodia

The towers of Angkor are weakly connected structures, therefore soil settlement, more than global tilting produces disconnections between the structural elements. The first signs to appear are cracks, gaps opening between the blocks, which often develop right to the top of the towers. When cracks or gaps increase, the structure of the tower becomes more and more disarticulated and the stability becomes precarious. Extreme situations require the stone block structure to be dismantled, a new stable foundation raft to be created, and the temple to be rebuilt again following an anastilosys process. Generally the situation is not so extreme and it is possible to create new equilibrium conditions.