Architecture is both the process and the product of planning, designing, and constructing buildings or any other structures. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural symbols and as works of art. Historical civilizations are often identified with their surviving architectural achievements.
The hand that rounded Peter's dome And groined the aisles of Christian Rome, Wrought in a sad sincerity: Himself from God he could not free; He builded better than he knew; The conscious stone to beauty grew.
The deterioration of historic buildings has become an increasingly urgent issue and consequently the need of a more sustainable management of the built heritage as well. An EU initiative has developed complex new materials designed specifically to restore heritage materials.