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FRINATEK-Fri prosj.st. mat.,naturv.,tek

Sustainable Management of heritage Buildings in a Long-term perspective

Alternative title: Bærekraftig langsiktig forvaltning av verneverdige bygninger

Awarded: NOK 8.0 mill.

The international Symbol- Sustainable Management of heritage Buildings in a Long-term perspective project (2018-2022) has contributed to strengthen the Knowledge systems gravitating around the Stave churches physical vulnerability and their needs of protection. Within the Symbol project a step forward has been done to understand systematically - at site-level resolution - how much hazards (i.e. landslides and floods), and the forecasted climate change are expected to impact the churches. These outcomes are very valuable for the Directorate of Cultural Heritage, municipalities, politicians, local and regional authorities dealing with risk assessment, risk reduction and adaptation plans in time of Climate Changes. Then, the Symbol project has worked mainly on environmental diagnostic and material integrity inside the Stave Churches. In fact, the understanding of the vulnerability of heritage to natural and artificial (induced by the use of HVAC) climate change passes through the understanding of mechanisms and rates of relevant material change, specifically those climate-induced. Symbol has developed the understanding to help evaluating how risky are natural and artificial hygro-mechanic changes occurred in an indoor environment for wooden assets constituting the churches` peculiarities (e.g. the stave). This has been done using a range of environmental and physical investigation techniques ranging from in-situ monitoring campaigns, laboratory works for calibration purposes, and modeling. Based on the acquired data, novel risk assessment tools have been developed. These tools allow to evaluate - in the monitored churches - how much “safe” are the heating strategies actually in-use during religious offices, concerts, weddings, and funerals or how “safe” might be to have numerous visitors simultaneously inside churches. Next to the importance of such scientific knowledge for heritage scientists, these understandings have a big impact in supporting the Directorate of Cultural Heritage, conservators, organization/institution, and staff members actively involved in the church management as they offer a science-based evaluation to improve churches and visitors` management strategies in view of a long-term conservation of the stave churches. Important outcomes worthy to mention are in addition the achieved strengthening of research networking and cooperation at national and international level and the education and skill development in the application of No Destructive Techniques (e.g. Acoustic Emission and nano-indentation mainly) in monitoring historic materials (an example has been the final online conference and the recent University Summer School organized by NTNU).

The international Symbol- Sustainable Management of heritage Buildings in a Long-term perspective project (2018-2021) has contributed to strengthen the Knowledge systems gravitating around the Stave churches (SCs) physical vulnerability and their needs of protection. SCs are at risk.There has been no systematic assessment of the risk of Natural Hazards on the 28 still existing SCs and/or of the risk from climate change (CC). Within Symbol a step forward has been done to understand systematically - at site-level resolution - how much hazards (i.e., landslides and floods), and the forecasted CC are expected to impact the churches. These outcomes are very valuable for the Directorate of Cultural Heritage, municipalities, politicians, local and regional authorities dealing with risk assessment, risk reduction and adaptation plans in time of CC. Then, the Symbol project has worked mainly on environmental diagnostic and material integrity inside the SCs. In fact, the understanding of the vulnerability of heritage to natural and artificial climate change passes through the understanding of mechanisms and rates of relevant material change, specifically those climate-induced. In fact, Symbol has developed the understanding to help evaluating how risky are natural and artificial hygro-mechanic changes occurred in an indoor environment for wooden assets constituting the churches` peculiarities (e.g., the stave). This has been done using a range of environmental and physical investigation techniques to implement in-situ monitoring campaigns, laboratory works for calibration purposes, and modeling. Based on the acquired data, novel risk assessment tools have been developed. These tools allow to evaluate - in the monitored churches - how much “safe” are the heating strategies actually in-use during religious offices, concerts, weddings, and funerals or how “safe” might be to have numerous visitors simultaneously inside churches. Next to the importance of such scientific knowledge for heritage scientists, these understandings have a big impact in supporting the Directorate of Cultural Heritage, conservators, organization/institution, and staff members actively involved in the church management as they offer a science-based evaluation to improve churches and visitors` management strategies in view of a long-term conservation of the SCs. Outcome of Symbol worthy to mention are in addition the achieved strengthening of research networking and cooperation at national and international level and the education and skill development in the application of No Destructive Techniques (e.g., Acoustic Emission and nano-indentation mainly) in monitoring historic materials. What next? When preserving Cultural Heritage, especially in time of CC, it is important remember they are a no-renewable resource for our society and communities. Their preservation needs to be prioritized when competing with other requirements and the novel-produced knowledge implemented into action.

The project partners: the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research, the Haber Institute of Polish Academy of Science and the Getty Conservation Institute, will launch a comprehensive research programme to measure the mechanical properties of real, aged historic materials in the laboratory, evaluate physical damage accumulation in wooden specimens mimicking historical objects and elements subjected to climate variations in the laboratory, and trace damage on site in two stave churches in Heddal and Ringebu using non-destructive measurement techniques. A quantitative assessment of risk of climate-induced physical damage will be thus provided for the environmental conditions (levels, fluctuations of varying amplitude, rate and duration) recorded at present or predicted for the future. The close collaboration with stakeholders i.e. National Trust of Norway, Norwegian Association of Church Employers and managers of the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage will guarantee development of the best possible preservation strategies for the sites. The project has the ambition to generalize the outcome to conservation management of the whole group of the existing stave churches (28) and to contribute internationally to the debate on managing indoor environments in historical buildings and museums for the protection of vulnerable art objects and furnishing in sustainable manner, which is currently in the spotlight of cultural heritage institutions worldwide. The methodological approach that uses cutting-edge experimental techniques characterizing historic, aged materials and allows physical damage to be quantitatively traced in the non-destructive way, makes it possible to refine current environmental guidelines for safe display of polychrome wood. This means that higher comfort for users/visitors can be provided with energy efficient/passive measures ensuring safe preservation of building and their contents.

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FRINATEK-Fri prosj.st. mat.,naturv.,tek