Vernacular wood architecture in Puntarenas Costa Rica: Shape of cross-section and dimensions of boards, wood species, lesions and causative fungi

Puntarenas City presented a local vernacular architecture, which was built with wood and woodframe style. Recently, it has been observed that these buildings are suffering from biodeterioration and damages. Then, the purpose of this research was to identify the shapes of cross-section and dimensions, wood species used in the various parts and components, the characterization of the biological agents responsible for biodeterioration and different types of damage that occur in the vernacular wooden architecture of Puntarenas. The results obtained revealed that eight woody species were used. Most of the components are rectangular or square in shape of cross-section, and molded boards for enclosures (slats, half-round trims, cornices, and baseboards) were also presented. Three types of wooden boards were found according to their dimensions: rectangular or square of cross-section with widths ranging from 5.00 to 15 cm and thicknesses from 2.5 to 7.5 cm, and boards for wall enclosures with thickness less than 1.9 cm and widths no greater than 15.0 cm. Thicknesses of less than 2.00 cm and widths of 10.0 cm were used in the manufacture of doors and windows. In the diagnosis of the damage, it was observed that the most frequent types were physical and mechanical and were used for the external enclosures. 24 different morphotypes were determined by fungal damage and these were mainly Ascomycetes type, with the most frequent being Aspergillus, Trichoderma spp ., Penicillium spp ., and Cladosporium spp . The information found is essential for promoting conservation and management processes that ensure the longevity of this type of structure.