D.6 HONEYCOMB WEATHERING

Changes to rocks in natural settings create surfaces with rounded shapes, connected cave-like hollows or honeycomb arrangements. The scientific name for these kinds of alterations is alveolarization or tafone, and they are the result of a material weathering process that we can also see along the nearby coastline, such as the cliffs at the Old Port in Algorta.

Buildings built with sandstone, as in the case of numerous edifices in Getxo, often suffer from this kind of damage. In the specific case of the Punta Begoña Galleries, the affected area is the masonry wall on the south-west gallery. Yet apart from the stone used on the building, there are also building features made of artificial materials that experience this kind of weathering, such as the crossbeams on the balustrade in this area.

The study and monitoring of the affected elements, their orientation in the building, and prevailing atmospheric conditions are vital for adopting the corrective measures that slow the deterioration of these building materials.