Partners

• Riksantikvaren - The Directorate for Cultural Heritage, Norway
• NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
• NIKU - Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research
• ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property)

Duration: 6 weeks (26 May – 4 July 2008)

Place: Norway

Participants
Twenty one participants from eighteen countries attended the course. Eleven had backgrounds as architects or engineers and ten were conservators.

Aim

• Give the participants the theoretical and practical knowledge essential for diagnosing the causes of deterioration and for selecting the most appropriate methods for conservation and restoration of wood.
• Extend the knowledge of the participants beyond their own professions for a broader understanding of different aspects and approaches to wood conservation.
• Bring people from different countries and cultures together for a mutual learning experience.

Description
The Wood Conservation Course has been implemented every two years in Norway since 1984. The course has a multidisciplinary profile, covering issues on timber structures, wooden objects, and archaeological wood. It is organized in five units:

• Wood Properties
• Environment and Decay
• Conservation Theory and Principles
• Conservation of Objects
• Conservation of Built Structures.

The course consists of lecture, practical workshops, site visits and group discussions.  An excursion to sites in Norway is also carried out.  Places visited included the Maihaugen Open Air Museum in Lillehammer, and several outstanding wooden heritage sites in the southern part of Norway.

Main achievements
By the end of the course, the participants had a stronger theoretical and practical basis for decision-making regarding strategies and methods for conservation of heritage objects and built structures in wood. In addition, participants were able to expand their appreciation of other cultures and disciplines and to communicate and exchange information in a more effective way.  Finally, the course concluded with an exam which gave 18 credits to those who passed.

updated on: 13 April, 2010