Temporary shelters for the archaeological excavation at Kinik Höyük. Considerations after three years of work

The design of temporary shelters for archaeological excavations is a recent and unexplored theme, indeed immovable finds are typically protected by plastic sheeting only. The paper illustrate and analyse the behaviour of temporary shelters built at the archaeological site of Kinik Höyük (Turkey). Timber shelters built in 2013 were directly designed by local manpower and were lifted up twice during winter by strong local winds. In 2014 the research group was involved in the design of a new system of shelters and decided to build timber frame structures assembled by nailing. To ensure resistance to winds: the structure was braced using struts and X bracings; suitable stabilizing masses were set up. During the subsequent winter season, shelters resisted to the loads of wind and snow. At the beginning of the 2015 campaign, one of the shelters was dismantled to allow excavation activities, while the second was kept. At the end of the campaign three new shelters were built: the first in replacement of the dismantled one, the second next to the one built the previous year and still existing, the third in a more protected area. In August 2015, a strong storm hit the region where the archaeological site is, demolishing two of the newly built shelters, leaving intact the other two structures. The paper will point out the reasons of this failure.