Non-destructive methods for chromatic investigation of building façades

The chromatic characterization of surfaces is used in many research and production fields (quality control of industrial product, effect of color on human behavior, new design, building restoration, ...). In building restoration field the colorimetric investigation of solid elements is a current subject in which several problematic aspects have to be analyzed: large area characterization, analysis of chromatic alteration due to weathering or/and degradation processes, ... [1-2]. In the present work some non-destructive methods for chromatic investigation of ancient building façades are proposed: spectrophotometric and spectroradiometric surveys of small surfaces (from 1 to 10 mm2); chromatic characterization of wide area by means of spectrophotometer, spectroradiometer and/or digital camera (almost from 10 to 100 cm2); simultaneous use of color data by spectrophotometer, spectroradiometer and/or digital camera to verify the influence of natural different lights on the perceived colors. Keywords: chromatic characterization, non-destructive methods, ancient building façades