Risk Management and Built Heritage: Towards a Systematic Approach

During the last years, the risk management has been recognised as a more effective approach to the conservation decision-making process. Significant contribution in this direction is the development of the European standard Conservation process – Decision making, planning and implementation (EN 16853:2017), where the risk evaluation becomes an important component of the conservation process, necessary for the identification, evaluation and selection of the conservation options. This paper discusses the classification of risks as a tool for the analysis, the evaluation and the management of risks for the built heritage. Existing typologies of risk vary according to the selected criteria on which they are based and their utility/scope within the risk management process. Indicative examples of risk classification proposed in different fields are examined. The comparison of the selected criteria for analysing risks and the reflection upon their relevant aspects to the built heritage conservation provide a frame for a systematic approach to the built heritage management.