Materials related activities

In many regions of the world stone and wood have been the predominant material used in building construction and decorative objects.

The conservation and maintenance of these materials is a core activity in such regions. Factors such as climate change, pollution, use demands, lack of maintenance, and inappropriate past treatments are challenges for the conservation of stone and wood structures and objects.
The decline in traditional building techniques, craft practices and repair methods has also threatened our ability to sustain structures and objects made of these materials into the future. These conservation issues require a multidisciplinary approach that involves professionals, craftspeople, policy makers and owners.

• To provide an in-depth knowledge of technical conservation issues related to wood and stone to professionals working extensively with those materials in their home countries.

International Course on Wood Conservation Technology
This course has been held every two years since 1984 and during that time has trained over 240 participants. The course is organized in Oslo by ICCROM’s partners, the Norwegian Directorate of Cultural Heritage (Riksantikvaren), NTNU, and NIKU. The course provides participants with the theoretical and practical knowledge essential for diagnosing the causes of deterioration and selecting the most appropriate methods of conservation and restoration of wood. Participants expand their focus beyond their specific professional experience in order to understand different aspects and approaches to wood conservation. The course also strengthens networks amongst professionals interested in wood conservation. ICCROM’s contribution to the course includes participation in course design and evaluation, in the selection of course participants, and sending staff or appropriate external experts to act as lecturers during the course.

Course on conservation of wooden structures in the Asia–Pacific region
The course on conservation of wooden structures is a collaboration between the ACCU Nara Office, the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan, and ICCROM. It has been held in alternative years since 2003, rotating with the course on Conservation of Archaeological Sites in the Asia – Pacific region. It is designed for 15 participants from countries in the Asia – Pacific region that have signed the World Heritage Convention. The next course is scheduled to take place in Nara, Japan in 2011. ICCROM’s contribution to the course includes collaboration in participant selection, sending ICCROM staff or appropriate outside epxerts to act as lecturers, and aiding in course design and evaluation.

International course on stone conservation
This course was founded in 1976 by UNESCO, ICCROM, and the Italian Government, as part of the general response to the flooding in Venice. It was held 14 times up to 2003 by ICCROM, the Istituto Università IUAV di Venezia, the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (BRESCE), the Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici e Paesaggistici di Venezia e Laguna, and the Soprintendenza Speciale per Patrimonio storico, artistico, etnoantropologico e per il Polo Museale della città di Venezia e dei comuni della gronda lagunare of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. The course was restarted in 2009 with the addition of a new partner, the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI).

Stone course partners will implement the next International Course on Stone Conservation in 2011. The course will adopt a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach and is designed for approximately 20 professionals involved in the conservation of historic stone structures and artefacts. The primary goal of the course is to improve the practice of stone conservation internationally. This goal will be achieved through providing participants with a holistic understanding of the decay and deterioration of stone, disseminating effective conservation methodologies, and ensuring a practical understanding of appropriate repair methods and long-term management strategies.

Through lectures, discussions, laboratory sessions, demonstrations, site visits and field exercises, participants will discuss and engage in current state of the art methodologies as they pertain to all phases of stone conservation. Group fieldwork exercises at a worksite will provide participants with the opportunity to address actual work scenarios where multidisciplinary solutions and collaboration are required. Throughout the course, participants will be encouraged to draw upon their collective expertise from various specializations to help them arrive at more effective conservation solutions.

updated on: 29 December, 2009