Heritage Science at the Engine Shed

To select the most appropriate intervention in a conservation or repair project, you must understand the nature of materials and their behaviour in order to have a robust decision-making process underpinned by scientific evidence.

Heritage Scientists at Historic Environment Scotland use a variety of analytical techniques to characterise and understand how these materials decay over time and how certain interventions might affect their integrity and longevity.

The day will begin with an overview of how science is used, both in the lab and on site, to understand materials or masonry systems and their behaviours in light of climate change. We will then look at different types of analytical processes used by the Engine Shed’s Heritage Science team to determine the source and composition of stonework, and the investigations they undertake into building pathology, including infrared thermography and microwave moisture monitoring.

The morning presentation will finish by broadening your understanding of how science is applied to archaeology to provide insights into people from the past, sites, monuments and buildings, and to inform the conservation of objects.

A networking lunch will provide you with the opportunity to continue discussions and explore the Engine Shed.

For those purchasing the full day experience, in the afternoon there will be a set of practical demonstrations of the HES Heritage Science team’s analytical equipment in the Engine Shed.

For those who cannot join us in person, a virtual ticket is available for the morning learning session. This will be hosted on Microsoft Teams, and the joining link will be sent to you a week before the event.

Learning outcomes

You will:

• Understand how analytical scientific techniques can enhance our understanding of the nature of traditional building materials and can explain how they decay over time.
• Discover how petrographic analysis is used to determine the composition and physical structure of natural building stone and how this helps identify new sources of material for repair.
• Learn about the use of a microwave technique to monitor moisture ingress in traditional buildings and what can be learned from infrared thermography regarding building pathology.
• Learn about the different uses of science in archaeology

Who should attend?

We encourage graduates, heritage professionals and building practitioners from all disciplines interested in developing their knowledge and practice in traditional buildings to consider attending.

We also welcome anyone responsible for a traditional building or with an interest in the broader aspects of building conservation in Scotland.

This learning session can be used towards your continued professional development (CPD). A certificate of attendance will be issued following participation.