Focus Magazine 2012

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    4 | www.historic-scotland.gov.uk

    Soft capping

    techniques used at

    Smailholm Tower

    A

    Spring 2012 will f inally see the launchof Knowledge Base, our Conservation

    website thats an invaluable resource for

    anyone interested in the conservation of the

    built heritage. With input from a broad skills

    base, the site is packed with information about

    our latest projects and research, and also

    information about our training grants.Knowledge Base boasts many features

    including digital access to our publications,

    reports, historic catalogues and practical

    guides. It also has a news section and video

    content as well as access to lectures via our

    webinars, including such subjects as energy

    efficiency and traditional building materials.

    As a user you will be able to personalise

    your home page, bookmark material and

    access our forum. Through our new

    and improved online shop you canpurchase hard copies of our publications

    and access free digital versions for the

    majority of them. You will also be able

    to purchase tickets for our forthcoming

    events and seminars.

    We would love to hear your views,so why not sign up on the link below

    and leave us a message on the forum

    or e-mail us on [email protected].

    gov.uk we look forward to hearing from you.

    www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/conservation

    Knowledge Base

    IN BRIEF

    Autumn 2011 saw the launch ofour two-part Research Report on

    Soft Cappings, written by Tom

    Morton of Arc Architects. This age-old

    technique of protecting masonry has

    been the focus of new research given

    its attractive properties of being low

    Publicationsupdate

    Historic Scotland commences

    work on the ambitious Rae

    Project in spring 2012. This will

    digitally record the 345 monuments inthe care of Scottish Ministers, and looked

    after by Historic Scotland.This challenging project will produce

    highly accurate records of these

    Meshed surface

    image of Dupplin Cross

    monuments that will be invaluable for

    the conservation and interpretation of

    Scotlands cultural heritage. The project

    will also help Scotland maintain its world-leading status in this innovative

    technology.

    For more information contact Lyn Wilson

    [email protected]

    Rae Project

    Application of blowncellulose insulation

    during Historic Scotland

    energy efficiency trials

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    Historic Scotland | Focus 2012 | 5

    The Technical Outreach and Educationteam are looking forward to a busy

    year ahead. We have already

    scheduled a number of events small scale

    seminars, specialist conferences run inpartnership with other organisations and

    two-day international events, as well as our

    usual outreach and education work and we

    will continue to add to our calendar as the

    year progresses.

    We have dubbed 2012 our Year of Climate

    Change. This is reflected in some of theevents already planned, such as the Solid

    Wall Insulation Conference in conjunction

    with Changeworks on 20th April. We willalso have a one-day seminar on energy

    efficiency in traditional buildings

    to keep you up to date with development s

    in this area, while autumn will seea two-day conference on climate change

    taking place at Our Dynamic Earth on10th and 11th September. We hope toattract international speakers and delegates

    to this event to drive forward the debate on

    climate change and its impact on the built

    heritage sector.

    As well as the climate change events, we

    have a full programme of other publication

    launches and conferences. Following onfrom the success of last year (see page 7),

    Digidoc will be held on 22 and 23 October

    at Surgeons Hall, Edinburgh. This two-day

    event will feature international speakers

    and showcase what is happening with 3D

    laser scanning and related technologyacross a range of media.

    For more information on any of the above,

    and to book tickets, please consult our website

    www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/conservation or

    email [email protected]

    Forthcoming events

    IN BRIEF

    maintenance and environmentally friendly.

    The volumes include the findings of 39 case

    studies from across Scotland and are

    available to buy or view online from our

    website at www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/

    conservation. All technical conservation

    publications available from HistoricScotland can also be found in the

    publications section of this magazine.

    The Energy Houseis a follow up to Inform

    Houseand will be available from Spring 2012

    to either download from our website or to

    order from Historic Scotland directly on a

    memory stick. This interactive house

    highlights areas around the home whichcan be upgraded to improve energy

    efficiency in traditional buildings.

    As well as more widely understood

    treatments for areas such as windows,

    it also includes practical applicationsfor recent research into walls and floors.

    As always, keep an eye on our websiteto see when it becomes available.

    We are also excited to announce our new

    series of Short Guides, to be launched in

    2012. They will provide practical guidance

    on a number of technical areas, and in time

    form a comprehensive set of volumes on

    traditional material areas. We are, however,

    starting the series with publications

    that answer our most-asked questions.Look out for further announcements

    in the press or on our website.

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    Historic Scotland | Focus 2012 | 7

    This international two-day digital documentation conference brought together someof the top innovators in the field to discuss their wide-ranging research. Technical

    Outreach and Education Manager Dorothy Hoskinsoffers us an outline of the event

    Last September, Historic Scotland held

    an international two-day conference

    on digital documentation. A range

    of speakers, pioneering in their field, gave

    presentations on recent developments in

    digital documentation technology and its

    many applications.Scotlands First Minister Alex Salmond

    opened the event with a keynote

    speech emphasising the importance of

    documenting the past to help shape the

    future. He encouraged further Scottishinnovations in the field by announcing,

    It pays for a small country to think big.

    Mr Salmond went on to announce that the

    next international site to be recorded as

    part of the Scottish Ten project will be

    the Eastern Qing Tombs in China.

    The presentations gave a goodaccount of the growing collaboration

    between private and public sectororganisations and reflected the

    international range of those participating

    in the field, including phase-shift

    laser-scanning pioneer Katsushi Ikeuchi,

    who travelled from Tokyo.

    Among others giving presentations

    were Brian Mathews, who introduced the

    free photogrammetry package Photofly,Elmer Bol of Alice Labs, who demonstrated

    the features of the 3D soft ware Studio

    Clouds, John Meneely of Queens University

    Belfast and xRez Studios Greg Downing.CyArks Elizabeth Lee ended the conference

    with her closing speech.

    By way of introduction, a moreinformal roundtable discussion was held

    before the conference for speakers, giving

    them an opportunity to conduct a

    preliminary meeting about the topics to

    be addressed over the following t wo days.

    Also, an evening social event was held

    between the two days of talks, giv ingparticipants the chance to network on a

    more informal basis. The event included

    cilidh dancing and the premiere of the

    Scottish Ten movie Scottish Ten, the Storyso Far.

    The conference was a huge success anddelegates, speakers and sponsors are all

    looking forward to Digidoc 2012, which

    will be hosted in October.

    Digidoc 2011

    First MinisterAlex Salmond

    delivers the

    keynote

    speech at

    Digidoc 2011

    IT PAYS FOR A SMALLCOUNTRY TO THINK BIG

    ALEX SALMOND,FIRST MINISTER FOR SCOTLAND

    IN BRIEF

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    SCOTTISH TEN

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    The Scottish Ten is an ambitious

    five-year programme that sees

    Historic Scotland (HS) and theDigital Design Studio (DDS) at

    Glasgow School of Art digitally documenting

    Scotlands five UNESCO World Heritage Sitesand five international heritage sites in 3D.

    Scottish Ten data will be shared with the

    world via our US partner CyArks digitalarchive (www.cyark.org). The Centre for

    Digital Documentation and Visualisation

    LLP, a joint venture bet ween HS and the

    DDS, was established in 2010 to deliver the

    Scottish Ten.

    A BUSY YEAR

    As I write this in late 2011, we are at the

    half-way point of the Scottish Ten project,

    following its inception in April 2009. The

    project is now firmly est ablished andfantastic progress has been made this year.

    The team has been busy presenting initial

    results at events around the world,

    engaging local, national and international

    audiences with the project. We have

    completed fieldwork at two more sites and

    a third is currently underway. Ourinternational partnerships continue

    to bloom.

    In September 2011, we hosted our

    popular annual Digital Documentation

    conference in Glasgow to high acclaim

    (www.digitaldocumentation.co.uk) andmore recently, the Scottish Ten team was

    shortlisted in the Science, Engineering

    and Technology category at the

    UK Civil Service Awards 2011 great

    recognition and a great honour for our

    project. Here we share more of the

    years highlights...

    3D AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

    In late June and early July 2011, the

    team journeyed to the UKs most remote

    UNESCO World Heritage Site, St Kilda. The

    project was conducted in partnership with

    the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), whomanage and conserve the islands. Getting

    there was a logistical challenge in itself:it took almost four hours in a small boat

    from the western coast of Harris. To reach

    the shore, our beloved laser scanners had

    OUR SECOND INTERNATIONAL PROJECT

    After months of planning, October 2011

    saw the team fly to India to document the

    breathtaking site of Rani ki Vav in Gujarat,

    in partnership with our colleagues at the

    Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Theteam included Justin Barton from CyArk,

    who assisted with on-site data

    management.

    Rani ki Vav, or the Queens Stepwell,

    was built around 1050 AD and served as

    a communal water source for the areas

    royal family. Adorned with some 400 one-metre-high carved sandstone panels

    depicting Hindu deities, and seven stepped

    terraces leading to the well itself, the site

    was only excavated in the 1960s and is

    wonderfully preserved at its lower levels.

    It is currently on UNESCOs tentative list forWorld Heritage status.

    Rani ki Vav provided the team with a two-

    fold technical challenge. Firstly, how to

    capture the exquisite Hindu sculptures at

    the required level of detail. Secondly, the

    logistics of recording the interior of the 7

    metre diameter, 27 metre deep well, which

    was also decorated with incredible carvings.To meet the first of these, we incorporated

    a new piece of scan technology in the

    form of a portable structured light scanner

    to record the sculptures at sub-millimetre

    detail. For the second, we designed and

    to be transferred in rather choppy waters

    from our small boat to an even smaller

    dingy a tense moment!The main island of Hirta was inhabited

    until 1930 when the remaining population

    was evacuated to mainland Scotland.Their homes still remain, as do field systems

    and over a thousand examples of cleits

    stone-built storage structures used to drysea-birds and peat and to store feathers and

    eggs. There are also wonderfully preserved

    examples of earlier occupation on the

    islands, such as the prehistoric structures

    at Gleann Mor. The islands more recent

    heritage includes the 1950s Ministry of

    Defence base and radar stations. These arestill operational and are run today by

    Qinetiq. We were very fortunate to be able

    to stay within the islanders 19th-century

    cottages during the project, a wonderfully

    evocative experience.

    With two weeks allocated for the field

    capture phase, the Scottish Ten workfocused on the main settlement, Village Bay

    on Hirta. Working in teams, we carried out

    mid- and long-range terrestrial 3D laser

    scanning and high-resolution photography.

    For the first t ime in the Scottish Ten, we also

    had use of a ver y long-range scanner,typically used in mining to document the

    topography of Village Bay. Another Scottish

    Ten first was the recording of 3D sound

    courtesy of our PhD student, AliceWatterson. This will be used to add an extra

    dimension to virtual reconstructions and

    immersive 3D experiences.Despite the large areas to cover and

    despite the resident Soay sheep using

    our scanner tripods as scratching posts,

    we managed to document all structures

    in Village Bay. Outwith the primary

    settlement, we also documented the

    Amazons House in Gleann Mor and theradar stations. When complete, we hope

    the final data will be of practical use to the

    NTS in their ongoing conservation

    management of the islands. We also planto use our dimensionally accurate

    3D visualisations to promote virtual

    remote access, so more people canexperience these spectacular islands at

    the edge of the world.

    Scanning St Kilda, managed andconserved by National Trust for Scotland

    Alex Salmond, First Minister for Scotland,with Chinas Culture Minister

    SCOTTISH TEN

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    Historic Scotland | Focus 2012 | 11

    constructed a custom aluminium and

    wood truss, onto which we could attach

    our scanner, extend it into the centre

    of the well, and operate the scanner

    remotely via WiFi.

    Over the course of two weeks, theScottish Ten team worked to complete

    a comprehensive 3D digital survey of

    Rani ki Vav. We used various technologies,

    each suited to a particular type of site

    documentation, including long- and

    mid-range terrestrial 3D laser scan systems,

    close-range structured light scannersand high-end digital cameras.

    With temperatures reaching almost 40C

    on most afternoons, we faced technical

    difficulties with the equipment overheating

    (not to mention the team overheating!).

    We found solutions to these minorproblems and checked the integrity of

    the scans daily to ensure we collected

    geometrically accurate data. In total, we

    captured approximately 175 scans with

    our terrestrial laser scanners, plus thousands

    of photos and sub-mm close-range scans

    of the sculptures. We worked closely

    with our ASI colleagues ever y day, providingthem with hands-on experience in 3D

    surveying. Partnership is a key goal for

    the Scottish Ten and we have built a solid

    and enduring relationship with our new

    friends at ASI.

    THE OLD AND NEW TOWNS OF EDINBURGHDigitally preserving an entire city may seem

    a daunting task, but the Scottish Ten team

    are taking it in their stride. The UNESCO

    World Heritage Site in Edinburghincorporates both the Old and New Towns

    and both Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood

    Palace. To achieve complete 3D coverage,

    airborne LiDAR was collected and

    developed into a 3D model in early 2011.

    This is essentially 3D information captured

    from an instrument strapped to the bottomof a plane or helicopter. The team started

    augmenting this aerial data with our

    ground-based capture systems in autumn2011. Charlotte Square, the Royal Mile and

    Calton Hill have been completed. Proving to

    be a challenge is less the extent of the siteand more the sheer number of people we

    are inadvertently recording in our scans who

    need to be digitally removed. Reality

    capture will continue in Edinburgh

    throughout 2012.

    EXPEDITION TO THE FAR EAST

    Also this year, our third international site

    was announced. In collaboration with the

    Chinese Government, our team will digitally

    document the Eastern Qing Tombs, a

    UNESCO World Heritage Site some 125km

    north of Beijing. The tombs were

    constructed around 1750 and are the most

    intact and best preserved funerary complexin China, comprising a city of mausoleums

    housing five emperors and fifteen

    empresses. Two reconnaissance

    explorations this year have cemented the

    project partnership between the Scottishand Chinese governments, identified the

    site and explored logistical and technical

    issues. As the entire site covers 80km2, we

    may have to focus on particularly important

    tombs. We anticipate the fieldwork team

    will be on site in China in Autumn 2012.

    Visit www.scottishten.orgFollow us on Twitter@ScottishTen

    For pictures of the team and their projectswww.flickr.com/photos/historicscotlandSee videos and animations at the officialHistoric Scotland YouTube channelyoutube.com/user/historicscotlandtvand vimeo.com/29702463

    Section through the3D pointcloud data

    from Rani ki Vav

    Chinas Qing Tombs

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    The science team within the

    Conservation Directorate ofHistoric Scotland support,

    commission and manage research

    into traditional materials. This builds uponthe work of our predecessor departments,

    Technical Conservation Group and TCRE,

    which published extensive research reports

    into a variety of areas.

    In 2009, Historic Scotland produced

    its first Technical and Scientific ResearchStrategy, which outlined the direction of

    our research for future years. Here, I will

    describe three of our most recent projects,

    each of them examining a different, but

    equally important, material.

    Working with Dr Paul Adderley at the

    University of Stirling, we are developingan evidence-based approach to the

    deterioration and conservation of

    vernacular buildings constructed with earth

    materials. At present, work being carried out

    is based upon anecdotal evidence and the

    knowledge of practitioners. The goal of this

    project is to marry practitioner knowledgeto studies of the material properties.

    To study earth from buildings, two main

    scientific techniques are being used. Firstly,

    samples are taken from a building, sectionedthinly and looked at under a microscope.

    This technique thin sectionmicromorphology is commonly used in

    the analysis of soils. It allows for microscopic

    features to be observed and the material to

    be characterised. Investigations from

    buildings in Scotland have so far revealed a

    wide variety of fabrics and organic additions.

    The second technique being trialledis a novel dating technique called

    luminescence. Essentially, silicates in the

    earth capture light from the sun. This

    captured light can be measured using novel

    apparatus, and this gives an indication ofwhen the earth last observed light. If

    the sample is taken from, say, the centreof a wall, then the earth would have last

    observed light at the time of construction.

    A second important material that we are

    examining closely is timber in traditional

    buildings. Timber has been used as aprimary building material throughout

    Scotlands history. As a material, it is

    vulnerable to loss through fungal attack

    and slow chemical degradation. We areworking with Dr Mike Jarvis at the University

    of Glasgow to understand the behaviour of

    historic timber better.

    When new and carefully selected, wood is

    a remarkably high-performance material. Its

    mechanical properties are based on

    cellulose units called microfibrils threenanometres in diameter and several microns

    in length, with tensile strength comparable

    to steel. Cellulose microfibrils

    make up half the mass of wood.

    The mechanical properties of

    wood are dependent on the

    orientation of the cellulosemicrofibrils (microfibril angle)

    and the density of the wood.

    If part of a timber beam is

    replaced by wood of the same

    species but with different

    microfibril angle, swelling and shrinkagewith changing humidity can lead to failure

    at the interface between old and new or,

    worse, differential movement between thesections of timber making up the repaired

    composite beam can create internal stress

    that may distort the whole structure. It is

    necessary, therefore, to go beyond the ideaof replace oak with oak. The ideal would

    be to measure the mechanical

    characteristics of a timber structural

    member in situand then select a piece of

    new timber matching these characteristics.

    In part this may be achieved through a

    traditional understanding of how timberproperties depend on the way in which the

    tree has grown, but timber built into

    structures also changes with age on acentennial scale, and as yet there is little

    understanding of these changes.

    A three-year project was started inNovember 2011 to address these issues.

    The principal outcome of this project will be

    Conservation andtraditional materials

    a detailed, science-based platform for

    guiding the selection of new timber torepair historic buildings.

    The third material we are examining is

    wrought iron. Its upkeep offers technicalchallenges that must be solved within the

    philosophy of conservation. Designing a

    protective coating system for heavily

    corroded ferrous metal surfaces is difficult.

    Practitioners seek a treatment with

    predictable performance and long recoatingintervals. To address this goal it is necessary

    to examine incrementally treatment

    properties from which the design of an

    optimum treatment can be developed. This

    research project, with David

    Watkinson at Cardiff University,

    is examining surfacepreparation methods for

    corroded wrought iron.

    Wrought iron samples are

    treated with paint removal/

    surface cleaning techniques,

    followed by monitoring the

    corrosion rate in a controlledaggressive relative humidity to simulate

    atmospheric corrosion. Each sample is then

    painted by a single paint system and the

    corrosion rate monitored. The appearanceof cleaned and painted surfaces are then

    assessed by electron microscopy. The studywill identify the influence of the selected

    surface preparation methods on the

    corrosion rate of corroded wrought iron.

    It will also provide a comparative

    assessment of these methods and assess

    their performance with a specified coating.

    The goal of this project is to produce anevidence-based protocol for the selection of

    a coating system for protecting outdoors

    cast and wrought historic ferrous metals.

    With each of these projects we are

    undertaking rigorous scientificexaminations of traditional materials, with a

    view to increasing our understanding of theeffects of conservation methods on their

    long term survival. When completed and

    reviewed, the results will be published.

    Senior Conservation Scientist Dr Craig Kennedyoutlines his recent inquiries intothe conservation of traditional materials

    WHEN NEW ANDCAREFULLY

    SELECTED, WOODIS A HIGH-

    PERFORMANCEMATERIAL

    MATERIALS

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    BACKGROUND

    Biggar Gasworks dates back to the mid 19th

    century, in the days when coal was used toproduce gas for towns across Scotland.

    A major feature of the Edwardian and

    Victorian works is its two gasometers

    large storage containers to hold the

    manufactured gas. The Victorian

    gasometers were constructed in two parts:the well, a water-filled base deeply sunk

    into the ground, and the bell, a cylindrical

    container that floats with the latter.

    The manufactured gas was fed throughseveral metres of water into the base of the

    container. As the amount of gas increased in

    the castor-stabilised container, it graduallyrose to make room for the extra capacity.

    Being very heavy, the riveted steel-plated

    rising vessel, under the force of gravity, kept

    the gas under a constant pressure, pushing

    it into the local grid to feed the towns

    homes with a steady f lame. Meanwhile,

    rainwater would run off the large bell to

    be naturally recycled, topping up thewater in the cast iron caisson well, with any

    excess draining into the adjacent burn.

    The gasworks came into our care when

    it closed over 30 years ago, following the

    introduction of natural gas. For display,

    the rising vessels of the disused gasometers

    were set in full capacity position by airpumped into the container, and once

    raised, supported by hefty steel brackets

    welded to the wells. For several decades

    the well-maintained exterior fabric of the

    gasholders was diligently repainted.

    With work underway at the only preserved gasworks in Scotland,Historic Scotland District Architect Ian Lambietakes us throughthe details of the conservation

    Biggar Gasworks

    large gasholder

    CONSERVATION

    Workinginside the gascontainers

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    inhibit future corrosion. Considerable

    planning and preparation has been

    undertaken to address the unusualworking environment of the gasometers.

    To successfully blast, repair and paint

    the metalwork requires a dry heated

    environment, so a fully weather-clad

    scaffolding has been erected to protect

    the exterior of the gasholder. To access

    the interior safely also involves overcomingthe major challenges of a water-filled,

    part-subterranean space that is potentially

    harbouring dangerous chemicals and gasresidues. Luckily we learned valuable lessons

    from earlier successful refurbishments of

    the small gasholder in 2008, and with this inmind, personal protective equipment and

    rescue measures were devised.

    WHATS THE PROBLEM?

    An internal inspection of one of the 6m-tall

    gas storage containers showed that it wastime for a substantial programme of work

    to remove rust and apply special protective

    paint to inhibit future corrosion. Time

    had taken its toll: the cast iron and steel

    surfaces of the interior had lost their

    protective tar paint finish and were rust-pitted and holed. Corrosion was found to

    be particularly extensive at the now fixed

    waterline of the rising vessels, weakening

    the structure at the bases of the bells.

    OUTCOME

    A substantial programme of conservation

    work is underway to remove rust, repair the

    metal and apply special protective paint to

    Also, we discovered there, the cast iron

    base of the well had fractured and displaced

    under the great pressure exerted by the highwater table causing persistent flooding.

    We countered the problem by installing

    a reversible concrete ballast floor with

    drainage layer below and sumps to allow

    constant pumping, thus maintaining a dry

    environment in the gasholder, necessary forblasting and painting. A similar solution wasanticipated as necessary for the deeper well

    of the large gasholder, and initial survey by

    roped access confirmed that the cast iron

    panels of the well caisson were indeed

    fractured and leaking.

    Laboratory tests have been carried out toensure the sludge deposits and water with

    the caisson were safe and the ballast f loor

    and drainage sumps have been laid. We are

    now on course to safely erect scaffold and

    carry out the conservation work. Initial

    inspection is ongoing with a specialist

    blacksmith to determine a repair strategyfor the riveted sheet cladding of the bell.

    In addition to rust removal and painting,

    we will also introduce a cathodic protection

    system. This will involve attaching zinc

    bars that will preferentially corrode, rather

    than the historic steel and the cast iron of

    the gasometer. This should ensure thefuture preservation of these increasingly

    unique structures.

    The results from a ground investigation

    carried out to determine soil conditions,

    water table level and any contamination of

    the ground, allowed Historic Scotlandengineers to check for any potential adverse

    effects on the tank when it was emptied.

    A key consideration was that the base of

    the tank was 3 metres below the water

    table, and although the engineers were

    confident the tank would not float, it was

    decided that 50 cubic metres of gravelwould be used as a quick way of put ting

    weight on to the base of the tank as it

    was emptied. Foamed concrete has been

    pumped into the base of the tank over the

    gravel layer to provide some further ballast.

    It was felt that the water pressure on the

    base might pose a risk if the cast iron panelswere badly cracked. Methods of reducing

    this pressure were examined. However,

    the preferred strategy of ground dewatering

    had to be discounted when it was found

    that the groundwater was not clean

    enough to pump into the adjacent burn.

    Inspection of the base confirmed thatit was of a similar bolted cast iron panel

    construction as the small glassholder.

    Also, cracks similar to those on the

    small gasometer base were found at an

    intersecting joint uncovered for the

    inspection, justifying the cautious approach

    adopted when emptying the tank.The next stage is to get the internal

    and external scaf fold in place to allow

    a closer examination of the condition

    of the metalwork and agree the extent

    of the repairs.

    TANK TRIVIA

    The large gasometer tank is 9.5 metres indiameter with an overall depth of 6.4

    metres. The base and the lower part of the

    tank are made up of cast iron panels and

    sunk 4 metres into the ground. The upper

    part of the tank is made up of riveted steel

    panels. The gas bell, made up of riveted steel

    panels on an raised position, extends some8.5 metres above ground level.

    CONSERVATION

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    Faced with such a large and

    diverse collection as the oneat Trinity House, Collections Unit

    involved multiple conservation

    specialists to treat the wide range of objects,

    which included complex navigational

    instruments, intricate ship models and

    fragile paintings, books and documents.The first stage of this programme involved

    assessing the condition of all the objects in

    the collection to identify and prioritise what

    needed to be done. Over 69 per cent of the

    collection needed essential conservation

    and 31 per cent requiring remedial cleaning.

    With the completion of the overallcollection assessment, the next stage was

    to roll out a programme of conservation.

    A significant part of this has involved the

    treatment of oil paintings undertaken by Ailsa

    Murray and Damiana Magris, HistoricScotlands Easel Painting Conservators. For

    Ailsa and Damiana this is a long term project;

    over the last four years they have completed

    14 out of the 47 paintings. Each painting

    is taken to the specialists studio at the

    Conservation Centre in Edinburgh where

    they are analysed to determine theappropriate course of action, such as

    cleaning and consolidation.

    An example of how our conservators work

    with a painting can be seen through thepictures below. The frames in which the

    Unveilingthe past

    When Trinity House of Leith came into the care of HistoricScotland in 2005, a major programme was launched to

    conserve and care for its extraordinary collection of over1,500 maritime objects, paintings and furniture

    MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS

    1The portrait of Mary

    Queen of Scots,

    painted after her death,is representative of

    conservation work carried out

    by our team of conservators.

    Once in the studio, the

    painting is examined to

    assess the condition and the

    technique used by the artist.All the information is

    recorded and integrated to

    the historical research. The

    investigation includes non-

    destructive analysis (UV light

    illumination, Multi Spectra

    Analysis investigation IR transmitted light illumination,

    XRF) and destructive analysis

    (cross-sections, polarised

    microscope investigation,

    micro-chemical spot test).

    CONSERVATION

    REMOVING THE VARNISH

    2Generally speaking,

    a painting might

    require the stabilisation of

    the paint layers and/or the

    support. Once the painting

    is secured the cleaningtest can be carried out.

    Depending on the

    substance that needs to be

    removed (dirt surface orvarnish) different

    approaches can be followed

    (dry cleaning, water basedor solvent based cleaning).

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    PROTECTIVE BACKING

    3Losses are filled

    and the paint layer

    reintegrated using

    reversible colours before

    the application of the final

    varnish, if this has beenremoved. A flexible backing

    ,consisting of an aluminium

    barrier foil with polyester

    non-woven lining, isapplied onto the back of

    the paintings to protect

    them from damp andmould from the wall.

    CONSERVATION

    easels are displayed also undergo

    work to get the whole painting backto its former glory, a task undertaken

    by our Technical Conservation

    Officer Alan Simpson. Once the work

    is completed in the studio, the

    paintings are then hung back in their

    original location.Rob Thomson, preventive

    conservator, who has been

    monitoring temperature

    and relative humidity at TrinityHouse, has worked with Nira

    Ponniah and Colin Hay to install a

    conservation heating system. Thisreplaced a night storage heating

    system that created large

    fluctuations in temperature and

    humidity. The stable conditions are

    maintained throughout the year for

    the benefit of the whole collection.

    In addition to this, blinds andwindow films for excluding

    ultraviolet light have been used to

    minimise the harmful effect of light

    on objects and paintings.

    Together with the regular

    housekeeping carried out by Judith

    Devereaux and Adam Gorysz(Collections Unit), based at Trinity

    House, it is hoped that these

    measures will help preserve this

    rich and significant collection for

    future visitors.

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    OTHER SPECIALISTS THAT HAVE

    CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROJECT:

    Sarah Gerrish, working on

    the furniture, has focused on

    establishing, strengthening and

    cleaning the furniture in thecollection. A set of 36 late-18th-

    century mahogany chairs

    made by William Trotter have

    now been fully treated and arenow back on display.

    Helen Creasy from the Scottish

    Conservation Studio, specialising

    on paper, has concentrated on

    treating framed works on

    paper throughout the house.These were taken out of

    their mount and treated for

    staining, tears, cockling and

    losses, then reframed using

    archival materials to separate

    works from direct contact with

    acidic materials and external dirt.

    Caroline Scharfenberg,specialising in book conservation,

    has started work on a

    small selection of 18th- and

    19th-century books from over400 references requiring urgent

    conservation. These included

    works with unstable bindings,

    staining and tears.

    Pieta Greaves and Emily

    Yates, from AOC (Scotland),

    concentrated on treating

    the corroded and tarnished

    metal objects and the natural

    history specimens. These

    included a sextant and quadrantfrom Leith Nautical College,

    Trinity House medallions, an

    incense burner, trade tokens and

    a bowling trophy. Once cleaned

    these items were coated with

    microcrystalline wax to

    protect them from oxidising

    when placed back on open

    display. The scrimshaw included a

    penguin carved from a sperm

    whale tooth. This was re-gluedremoving a badly stained joint.

    Trinity House is open for

    visitors all year round, 10am

    to 3.30pm (except weekendsand Christmas and New

    Year holidays). To find outmore information or to

    book a visit, please go to

    www.trinityhouseleith.org.uk

    CONSERVATION

    THE FINISHED PAINTING,

    RESPLENDENT ONCE MORE

    4A new hanging system

    (stainless steel cables

    with adjustable self-lockinghooks) has been adopted for

    an easier removal of the

    paintings from the wall incase of emergency.

    BEFORE AFTER

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    The development of a National

    Conservation Centre, announced

    last year, demonstrates the

    Scottish Governmentscommitment to support and develop the

    skills required by the traditional building

    sectors. The National Conservation Centrewill in fact bring together two existing

    facilities and two new ones under one

    umbrella.

    Our highly-regarded masonry trainingfacility at Elgin, will continue to be

    developed and form the teaching model for

    the NCC at Forth Valley College. Located in

    two brand new masonry workshops, NCC

    at Forth Valley College will be integrated

    into the Stirling Campus of Forth ValleyCollege, opening in August 2012, and as

    with Elgin, will provide the highest quality

    training for our stonemasons. The exis ting

    Applied Conservation facility in Edinburgh

    will continue to focus on the skills required

    for applied conservation. NCC at Forthside,

    Stirling, will become the hub for all technicaltraining within Historic Scotland and will be

    the new home for Heritage Science, Digital

    Scanning, Traditional Skills Training and

    Education and Outreach, which will open

    in 2015.

    As well as being a hub for our own training,

    NCC at Forthside also gives Historic Scotlandthe opportunity to showcase and impart its

    specialist knowledge and skills to the broader

    sector and wider public. As well as havingscience labs and workshops, the centre will

    include seminar rooms, a small lecture

    theatre and a demonstration workshop thatwill enable us to offer more outreach and

    hands-on training events. The

    centre will be open to the

    public, with the opportunity to

    visit exhibitions, acquire

    technical literature, view

    conservation work in progressand experiments being

    monitored, or chat to a resident

    craftsperson demonstrating

    their skill in the workshop.In answer to the question why now?,

    we can turn to the numerous reports that

    have been produced in recent years thatconsistently identify both low quality and

    gaps in the traditional skills sec tor, and

    a need to provide quality training and

    develop opportunities for both

    craft and professionaldisciplines. These are the issues

    that the NCC facilities will

    address. Also, as the largest

    employer in the technical

    conservation sector in the UK,

    Historic Scotland has an

    ongoing need to educate and

    train its technical staff,including craft apprentices, giving them the

    best training possible.

    Of course, we realise that these efforts

    alone will not be suff icient. Therefore, we

    will continue to support the development

    of traditional skills training and

    conservation expertise across Scotland,

    through a network of part nerships with

    charitable providers and the further and

    higher education sectors. However, we will

    lead the way with the creation of theNational Conservation Centre, bringing

    under one banner for the first time the key

    areas of Conservation Science, Applied

    Conservation, Digital Survey, Traditional

    Building Crafts and Education andOutreach. This will provide a strong centralnational resource, combining the

    knowledge, expertise and physical skills

    that we need to maintain and enhance the

    historic environment.

    Supporting

    conservation skillsFollowing the announcement this year of two new Historic Scotland facilities, Headof Traditional Skills and Materials Colin Tennantoutlines the proposed developments

    Signing the agreement between Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop (centre), Director of

    Conservation David Mitchell and Principal of the Forth Valley College Linda McKay

    THE NCC IS A VITALPART OF THE

    SCOTTISHGOVERNMENTS

    TRADITIONALSKILLS STRATEGY

    TRADITIONAL SKILLS

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    Palace of

    Holyroodhousegate repairs

    HISTORY

    Between 1822 and 1831, Robert Reid

    erected decorative railings enclosing

    small gardens to the south and east of thepalace. In 1858, Robert Matheson, Chief

    Architect, re-organised the gardens, opening

    up roads to the north and south. The 1831cast iron railings were relocated to the west

    of the gardens to line the north and south

    approach roads, and formal gateways, with

    ornamental gate-piers topped with gas-

    lanterns supplied from the recently opened

    gas-works at New Street, marked the

    entrances to Holyrood Park.When Edward VII died on 6 May

    1910, moves to create a memorial led to

    speculative designs being produced by

    Robert Lorimer and Hippolyte Blanc.

    The design competition was eventually

    won by Robert John MacBeth, but hisdeath in 1912 meant the designs of

    Sir George Washington Browne were

    selected. Detailed drawings were

    produced in 1914 but the outbreak of

    World War I delayed construction.

    Work began on the memorial in 1920.

    The gates and railings designed bySir George Washington Brown were

    constructed by the London firm J.

    Starkie-Gardner Ltd Metalworker to King

    Edward VII although the larger structuralsections were cast at the Skinningrove Iron

    Works in North Yorkshire. The completed

    memorial was unveiled by George V on 10October 1922.

    REPAIR WORKS

    Over the years numerous minor repairs

    have been made to the gates and railings.

    Small decayed or detached sections havebeen repaired and reattached either by

    Historic Scotlands blacksmiths or specialist

    metalwork contractors. The only extensiverefurbishment was carried out between

    1956 and 1960 by the metalworking f irm

    Thomas Hadden of Edinburgh.

    The current programme of repairs was

    prompted by the number of minor repairs

    needed both to the fine detail of the gates

    (in danger of becoming lost), and to the gatelocks and hinge mechanisms. The risk was

    that, were larger sections of the gates to

    detach, they could cause injury to the public

    or staff. In 2004, David Mitchells initial

    survey identif ied several areas of concern.

    Repair work started on the northapproach gate in 2005, following

    detachment of some decorative features

    from one of the gates, but this was cut short

    when it proved impossible to remove the

    overthrow above the gate due to significant

    amounts of rust around the bolts. It was

    apparent that major repairs were required,and limited stabilisation work was

    completed while a programme of more

    thorough repairs was developed.

    Two car crashes, the f irst in May 2005 anda second in January 2006, seriously damaged

    the western leaf of the south approach gate

    and made repairs to this gate crit ical.Heritage Engineering in 2006 lifted

    The gates at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh haveundergone some extensive conservation and repairs. Architect

    Nira Ponniahgives us a detailed outline of recent improvements

    the main gate leafs off their hinges and

    repaired the twisted gate in their workshop

    by re-welding the joints and straighteningthe gate in a jig of hydraulic jacks.

    The rust and paint coatings were removedand repairs made to stabilise the gates.

    Loose decorative features were reattached

    and the gates repainted and re-hung.

    Damaged stonework was indented by

    Damage from car crash Repairs carried out on details Analysis of the gate using a portable XRF

    CONSERVATION

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    Historic Scotlands masons and four bollards

    were erected to protect the gates from

    further vehicle impact.In 2008, work moved on to the Abbey

    Strand gates which were repaired by CharlesLaing & Sons. As the most often used gates,

    these had problems with opening

    mechanism as well as the corrosion seen

    elsewhere. As before, the main gates and

    overthrow were lifted out of position and

    removed to their workshops for repair and

    repainting. The side gates were repaired

    in situ by removing corrosion and

    re-painting. Wear on the upper hingesand the pintles and gudgeons (pins and

    bearings) of the lower hinges was made

    good by fitting shoes to the bearings

    and replacing the pintles

    altogether. The gate locks were

    also dismantled and rebuilt.When the paint finishes

    were stripped the decorative

    features of the gates were

    found to be constructed

    from a variety of materials.

    The gates themselves were a

    mix of wrought and cast iron, and

    the stags head over the Abbey Strandgate was bronze. Brass had been used

    for various sculpted medallions.

    Following repair and repainting in

    Charles Laings workshop the gate

    was reinstated on site.

    Gates at thePalace of

    Holyroodhouse

    Repainting at the workshop

    CONSERVATION

    Repairs to the north approach gates

    are currently being carried out by Eura

    Conservation Ltd. The gate leafs,overthrows and finials were transported

    to the contractors workshop in Telfordfor repair and repainting. The side panels

    to the gates were repaired in situ, and

    existing paint finishes removed and

    repainted on site.

    Analysis of the gatematerials was carried out

    by Historic Scotlands

    Conservation Group using

    a portable XRF instrument.

    Where repouss work is missing

    or extensively corroded and

    structurally unsound, andwhere sufficient evidence exists,

    replacements are to be fabricated on a like-for-like basis and mechanically fixed. It is

    anticipated that following repair and

    repainting the gates, overthrows and finials

    will be reinstated around mid to lateFebruary 2012.

    OVER THE YEARSNUMEROUS

    MINOR REPAIRSHAVE BEEN MADE

    TO THE GATESAND RAILINGS

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    In a drive towards a low carbon

    economy, the Scottish Governmenthas set ambitious climate change

    targets: to slash Scotlands carbon

    emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, with an

    interim target of a 42 per cent reduction by

    2020. These targets present Scotland with

    significant economic opportunities, as well

    as challenges.

    As an agency of the Scottish Government,Historic Scotland has statutory obligation

    to significantly reduce its impact on our

    environment and ensure the sustainable

    future of our built heritage for generations

    to come. With the publication of our Carbon

    Management Plan in June 2011, HistoricScotland has made a public commitment to

    reduce its carbon emissions by 25 per cent of

    2008-09 levels by April 2015. In order to meet

    this task, we are introducing an exciting new

    industry requirement Carbon Management

    and Accounting.

    WHAT WE CURRENTLY MEASUREAt present, Historic Scotland is focussed onour two primary sources of energy; electricity

    and gas. As this makes up the majority of our

    greenhouse gas emissions, tackling these

    areas will have a major impact in meeting

    our reduction targets. We also record other,

    less used, forms of fuel (heating oil, LPG and

    diesel) and will be incorporating these intoour figures very soon.

    WHAT WE WILL MEASURE IN FUTURE

    In order to provide a complete picture of

    our carbon emissions and accurately reporton these, we are currently looking to broaden

    our scope to include water, waste, traveland procurement. However, due to the

    challenging nature of these topics, the

    complexity and sensitivity of our sites and

    the vast size of the Historic Scotland estate,

    this is a great challenge. To meet this, we areworking with similar organisations to share

    experiences in implementing our Carbon

    Management Plan.

    BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT

    The installation of smart meters throughout

    the estate has greatly improved our ability to

    monitor energy consumption, but this must

    be accompanied by efficient methods ofrecording and monitoring. Other work carried

    out by the Climate Change team has providedus with an ideal opportunity to improve our

    business processes, such as how we manage

    our vehicle fleet, how we monitor travel

    outwith the agency and how we record

    fuel consumption and costing. These

    improvements not only allow us to

    effectively and accurately measure ourcarbon reduction, but play a key part in wider

    sustainability issues and business efficiency.

    CORPORATE PERFORMANCE

    Historic Scotland is now required to produce

    annual carbon accounts, and these provide awelcome opportunity to review performance

    against our Carbon Management Plan,

    including measuring progress, targeting

    key areas and setting clear goals.In common with many large public and

    private sector organisations, Historic

    Scotland is mandated to participate in the

    Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC)

    Energy Efficiency Scheme. CRC asks

    participants to measure and report carbon

    emissions annually, according to a specific setof rules. From 2012 onwards, organisations

    will be required to buy carbon allowances

    from government annually to cover theiremissions from the previous year. Effectively,

    this constitutes a carbon tax. Under CRC, an

    organisation that can lower its emissions can

    also lower its costs, delivering significantenvironmental and operational benefits.

    Carbon management

    and benchmarkingIn response to the Climate Change Act, Historic Scotland has set out to reduce carbon emissions.Carbon Manager Scott Bradysets out what needs to be done across the organisation

    We are changing thelighting in our properties

    to use more energyefficient light bulbs

    FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

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    As part of Historic Scotlands drive

    to reduce carbon emissions

    across our estate in line with

    our Carbon Management Plan,we are working hard on our three-step

    approach to:

    1. Reduce our energy demand

    2. Adapt our buildings

    3. Diversify our energy supply

    Of the 345 Properties in Care, 177 have

    an energy requirement, yet just 11 of thosesites account for almost 70 per cent of our

    carbon emissions. Almost 90 per cent of

    our carbon emissions are from operating

    our buildings. The biggest user of energyin our buildings is heating (typically 80-

    90 per cent), followed by lighting

    (typically 15-20 per cent). By initially

    focusing on heating upgrade projects

    at our highest energy using sites we

    hope to have the maximum impact inreducing our energy demand.

    Live projects this year include the

    replacement of ageing or inefficient

    boilers, upgrades of boiler controls,

    boiler sequencing controls and

    upgrades of heating distribution

    systems at several properties includingEdinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Iona

    Abbey and Dunblane Cathedral.

    We are also rationalising our heating

    control systems at many sites. By setting

    controls in line with how each of the

    buildings are used and occupied it

    should help us make considerable savings.The requirements of a heating system

    and the sophistication of controls vary

    immensely across the estate those of a

    cathedral are significantly different to

    those of a modern visitor centre, a regional

    office, a toilet block or a gardeners store.Upgrades of local heating controls, and

    new installations and upgrades of Building

    Management Systems (BMS), are being

    progressed at nine sites across the countrywhere they will have the most impact.

    At several properties we are adopting

    a system where we can control theheating using temperature and

    humidity controls to ensure optimum

    environmental conditions for particular

    areas with sensitive historic fabric,

    interiors or collections.

    By zoning the heating distribution

    systems it is possible to controldifferent areas in different ways;

    for example, at Argylls Lodgings one

    of the presented rooms contains delicate

    painted timber panelling. This space is

    controlled to conservation level heating,

    whereas the office areas in the same

    building are controlled to a comfortconditions setting.

    The replacement of inefficient lamps

    and light fitt ings is also being completed

    across the estate. This should have a

    significant impact on our electricity

    consumption, which is more carbon heavythan gas or oil. Glasgow Cathedral has been

    relamped using over 500 LED lamps. The

    savings to be gained from such a project

    are not simply direct energy savings. The

    increased lamp life means the maintenance

    costs of erecting a scaffold to replace

    lamps are reduced.Ongoing building adaption projects

    include insulation, installation of

    secondary glazing and draught-proofing

    across our estate, again starting withappropriate areas in the highest energy

    using sites.The installation of smart meters across

    our estate last year has allowed us to more

    accurately record our existing energy

    usage and monitor the impact of any

    improvements to systems, fabric or

    behaviour at our sites. This monitoring

    is critical to staff engagement on siteand will help us identify issues and

    generate discussions to plan future

    behavioural and physical solutions.

    We are also looking at diversifying

    our energy supply through potential

    renewables projects at appropriate sites.

    We are currently assessing the potentialcontribution such installations could

    provide to the energy mix at various sites,

    and the physical impact on the historic

    fabric and the visual setting of the

    monuments in our care.

    Reducing carbon emissionsClimate Change ArchitectJoann Russelloutlines a number of the projectsdesigned to tackle emissions at some of Historic Scotlands properties

    This year well be upgrading

    boilers at properties including

    Edinburgh Castle

    FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

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    Climate changepredictionsWith shifts in seasons, and more greenhouse gases recorded inthe Earths atmosphere than ever before, scientists have beenable to link climate change to the Industrial Revolution. Senior

    Conservation Scientist Craig Kennedyexamines Scotlands future

    The climate of the Earth has

    changed drastically over the last

    two million years. We have

    historical evidence of ice ages and

    periods where the climate has heated, and

    this appears to have happened naturally on a

    long-term cyclical basis. Before the industrialera, numerous events could have affected

    climate, including changes in the Earths

    orbit around the sun, volcanic eruptions and

    changes in the suns intensity.Research over the past few decades has,

    however, uncovered another type of climate

    change altogether anthropological, orman-made climate change. The evidence

    for this is clear: since the industrial era began

    towards the end of the 18th century, the

    level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

    has been rising at an exponential rate.They are now at a level higher than ever

    before. Greenhouse gases include water

    vapour, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and

    carbon dioxide. The level of carbon dioxide

    in the atmosphere has gone from 280 parts

    per million in the pre-industrial era to

    390 parts per million today, and is still

    rising rapidly. Never in the history of theplanet has atmospheric carbon dioxide

    levels been so high.

    The greenhouse effect of these gases

    means that heat taken in to the Earths

    atmosphere from the sun cannot leave as

    easily as before, and as a result the Earth

    is heating up.

    In the UK we have already seen the

    climate beginning to change as a result of

    man-made climate change. The growing

    season the period each year when plantsgrow has been extending since 1980,

    with spring beginning earlier. The summer

    of 2006 was the longest on record, with

    the hottest month ( July) and a record

    temperature for September. 2010 was thecoldest winter since 1986, and December2010 was the coldest month since 1890.

    The sea level at Aberdeen has risen in the

    past two decades, being consistently 60mm

    higher than the baseline set in 1920.

    FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

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    Between 2006-2008 sea levels were higher

    than the 1920 level by more than 100mm.

    Knowing that the Earth is heating up has

    led to speculation as to the effects of climate

    change, and a desire to predict more

    accurately what the future climate

    conditions on both a planetary andregional scale might be.

    In the UK, the Hadley Centre for Climate

    Prediction and Research has, since 1990,

    developed sophisticated computer modelsto predict how the climate of the country

    will continue to change over the course of

    the 21st century. Over the years the modelsproduced by the Hadley Centre have evolved

    to include more regional predictions, and to

    give some notion of the probability of their

    predictions coming to fruition.

    The latest predictions UKCIP09 werereleased in 2009. Broadly speaking, the

    predicted change of climate fell under three

    categories: low, medium and high levels of

    greenhouse gas emissions. We do not know

    the level of greenhouse gases that will be

    emitted over the course of the next few

    decades, and so these climate predictions

    attempt to cover all eventualities.In Scotland, the predictions state that we

    will experience hotter, drier summers and

    warmer, wetter winters. The level of emissions

    will dictate the severity of the change. For

    instance, under a low emissions scenario,

    the central estimate for annual mean

    temperature increase is 2-3 C across Scotland

    by the 2080s. The same estimate under a high

    emissions scenario is an increase of 3-4C.

    In terms of winter rainfall levels, under a low

    emissions future the west coast of Scotlandcan expect to experience a 40-50 per cent

    increase; with high emissions this value is

    50-60 per cent. This does not mean that we

    will not experience cold winters in future, or

    wet days in summer. What is predicted arechanges to the average climate conditionsthat we have experienced in the past. Only

    by reducing our emissions of greenhouse

    gases can we mitigate the changes that will

    be seen in our climate in the future.

    TEMPERATURE

    Temperatures are estimated to rise by 2-3 C in a low emission scenario

    and 3-4C under high emissions.

    PRECIPITATIONUnder a low emissions future the west coast of Scotland can expect to experiencea 40-50 per cent increase; with high emissions this value is 50-60 per cent

    0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.01 10.0

    CHANGE IN MEAN TEMPERATURE (DEG C)

    -70 -50 -30 -10 0 10 30 50 70CHANGE IN PRECIPITATION (%)

    HIGH

    EMISSION

    SCENARIO

    LOW

    EMISSION

    SCENARIO

    HIGH

    EMISSION

    SCENARIO

    LOW

    EMISSION

    SCENARIO

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    WASTE MONITORING

    Historic Scotlands waste management ismonitored and assessed as part of the

    Green Tourism Business Scheme. We have

    68 participating sites, 35 of which have

    achieved a gold award and 33 silver. While

    this is a strong performance, there are

    opportunities to fur ther improve.

    Waste accounts for 5 per cent of HistoricScotlands overall carbon footprint within

    the Carbon Management Plan (CMP), and

    in order to meet CMP targets in 2015

    we are working towards establishing

    an eff icient reporting system for waste

    and recycling levels across the estate.

    This activity is not without its challenges we have a broad-ranging

    estate of properties, and waste

    pick-up in rural locations can

    be an issue. We contract a

    number of different waste

    management providers,depending on what is most

    cost effective and appropriate

    for sites. To deliver the greatest

    impact, we propose to begin by targeting

    our top four waste-producing sites namelyLongmore House and Edinburgh, Stirling

    and Urquhart castles before turning ourattention to the rest of the estate.

    Historic Scotlands Climate Change team

    are working closely with the Procurement

    team and regional works managers across

    Scotland to establish the number of waste

    pick-ups, t ypes of waste being collected

    and recycling rates, all with the aim ofminimising residual waste. This is a work

    in progress, and the next s tep will be

    to monitor volumes of waste in each

    location, working closely with our waste

    management provider to deliver moredetailed reports. We will also seek advicefrom other public bodies on the best

    methods for reporting waste, as well as

    looking at opportunities to introduce

    visitor recycling at our sites.

    TRAVEL MONITORING

    Travel accounts for 7 per cent of HistoricScotlands carbon footprint, and part of

    our ongoing monitoring includes the

    development of an efficient reporting

    system for business travel. We believe that

    by empowering our staff we can deliver real

    improvements. We are currently producing

    a travel hierarchy detailing the carbonintensity of various methods of transport,

    as well as a green travel policy highlighting

    how we are currently performing and

    what we hope to achieve by 2015. This is

    supported by a new travel management

    contract with Expotel a one-stop shop for

    travel arrangements which allows us tobetter plan our journeys.

    A key area of focus is our fleet

    of 118 vehicles, many of which

    do not currently meet the EU

    guidelines of 120g/km CO2

    emissions for cars or 175g/kmfor vans. This will be factored

    into all new purchasing

    decisions. In the meantime,

    we will support staff to choose our most

    efficient vehicles by producing corporateguidance on the use of fleet vehicles and by

    creating regional league tables based onemission levels. Stirling Castle and Fort

    George have taken a step forward with the

    recent purchase of electric vans for use

    within the grounds of these sites.

    Historic Scotland is also working with

    the Scottish Government to gain a better

    picture of emissions from our hire cars.Carbon emission levels for each car will now

    be noted on our billing information, and we

    aim to limit the hire of cars with an engine

    size of 1.6 litre or above to instances where

    loads are being transported. Our providerdoes not have many hybrid cards available,but it does offer diesel cars which meet

    EU emissions requirements. Staff will be

    encouraged to choose these vehicles

    wherever possible and to use websites such

    A sustainableway forwardWith aspirations to make our environment habitable for futuregenerations, Sustainability Officer Eleanor Mitchelland EnergyManager Audrey Tullydiscuss the changes we can make

    BY EMPOWERINGOUR STAFF

    WE CANDELIVER

    REALIMPROVEMENTS

    Stirling Castle is one ofHistoric Scotlands topfour waste-producing sites

    FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

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    as Transport Scotland to help them factor

    carbon into their transport choices.

    Next to energy use in our buildings, wasteand travel have the most significant impact

    on Historic Scotlands carbon footprint, and

    we are committed to addressing both areas.

    At less than 1 per cent of our carbon

    footprint, water is not yet a key area of

    focus, but we will make steps to improveour water monitoring by fitting meters in

    2012/13 (see left).

    PROCUREMENT AND ENGAGEMENT

    The Climate Change team is working withprocurement to develop sustainability

    checklists for purchasing, which will act

    as a staff guide containing practical advice

    and considerations when placing orders.

    These checklists will be made easily

    accessible via our intranet. We have alreadycompleted our first checklist for stationery

    ordering in tandem with reducing both

    frequency of deliveries and minimumvalue of orders to help reduce indirect

    emissions (transportation of goods

    and energy) incurred by our supplier.

    For bigger projects of over 50,000we have introduced sustainability tests

    which also cover economic and

    social impacts for example, the new

    Bannockburn Heritage Centre project

    will use local apprentices, supported

    by education opportunities for young

    people living in a local housing estate.Achieving good performance against

    CMP targets requires us to engage our

    staff, public and partners, and a new

    staff awareness programme will deliver

    interactive training. We are communicating

    our ambitions through our variouspublications and are creating new content

    for the intranet and Climate Change web

    pages. We have hard-working Green

    Champions (mainly from the Commercial

    and Tourism Directorate) who are invaluable

    in communicating green messages and

    providing advice to staff across our estate.We hope to replicate this model across

    other key business areas to keep consistency

    and momentum for our ongoing projects.Recent successful initiatives included a

    heating campaign to help staff stay warm in

    their work space, and eco-driving simulators

    as part of Climate Week.By identifying

    opportunities for

    improvement

    and for raising

    the profile of

    Historic

    Scotlandssocial,

    economic and

    environmentalagenda, we

    hope to

    mainstreamsustainability into

    all our operations.

    METERING OUR

    PROGRESS

    Historic Scotlandbenefits fromhaving AutomaticMeter Reading(AMR) devices fittedacross 80 per cent

    of the estate, andthey will soon befitted to our watermeters too. AMRdelivers a numberof benefitsAccurate billingbased on actualconsumptionAutomatic meterreading is beneficialfor remote orunmanned sitesHalf-hourly

    readings allowfor detailed profilingof energyconsumption,highlightingunnecessaryenergy use (suchas when thebuilding is closed)Better forecastingand reduced timespent on bill queriesThe ClimateChange team can

    work through anyanomalies directlywith site staff,instigating changesin behaviours,operationalmanagement,building fabricor systemimprovementsto ultimatelyreduce energyconsumption and

    carbon emissions.These are allpart of a packageof measures whichwill continue to berolled outover thecomingmonthsand years.

    AutomaticMeterReading(AMR) device

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    Over the last 2-3 years,

    Historic Scotland hasresearched methods of

    reducing heat loss in

    traditionally constructed buildings.

    This follows direction from the Scottish

    Governments 2010 Energy EfficiencyAction Plan, which states: Historic

    Scotland will take the lead in researchingand promoting energy ef ficiency in

    traditional housing.

    The research sets out to trial different

    methods of reducing heat loss using

    materials that are not liable to cause

    future problems for the building, whileretaining the greatest amount of original

    building fabric. This article is a brief

    summary of the site trials so far.More details can be found at

    conservation.historic-scotland.gov.uk/

    home/resourcecentre/

    traditionalstructures/sustainability.htm

    INSULATING MASS MASONRY WALLS

    Where original lath and plaster survivesretention is to be strongly encouraged and

    a number of trials have been conducted

    into achieving this while still reducing heat

    loss. At the Garden Bothy near Cumnock,

    one room has seen bonded polystyrenebead blown behind the in situ lath and

    plaster (some re-wiring work was requiredbefore this could be done) and in another

    room cellulose material was blown in.

    Energy efficiency site trialsSenior Technical Officer Moses Jenkinsoutlines some of the techniques being trialled by

    Historic Scotland as part of the Governments Energy Efficiency initiative

    FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

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    The polystyrene bead has also been used in

    the energy tr ials at Wells OWearie Cottage

    in Holyrood Park and in a room at the Wee

    Causeway, Culross.

    Where a mass masonry wall has beenplastered on the hard, a thin insulating

    material that can be applied directly to the

    wall is required. Historic Scotland has trialled

    two materials of this type, both at the Wee

    Causeway. The first is aerogel blanket, 10mm

    in thickness applied directly to the masonry

    using thermally decoupled expansionfasteners with metal mesh applied over the

    top to take a plaster skim coat. Secondly,

    calcium silicate board, 30mm in thickness,

    was applied to the walls in ground floor

    rooms using an adhesive mortar and finished

    with a skim coat of plaster. Both materialshave subsequently been used in other trials,

    with aerogel blanket being used to insulate

    two tenement stairwells, one in Glasgow and

    the other in Rothesay (the material being

    particularly suited to curved substrates) and

    the calcium silicate board being used to

    insulate parts of the mass masonry walls of a

    croft house in South Uist.Lastly, where original wall linings have

    been lost or are severely deteriorated it is

    possible to take the approach of framing out

    and using the framing to hold an insulated

    board. Recent trials have used f ibre board to

    insulate walls in the aforementioned croft

    house in South Uist and the Garden Bothy.

    Wider trials took place in a tenement onSword Street, Glasgow (as discussed in Focus2009). This trial saw the use of three board-

    based materials (hemp, wood fibre and

    aerogel) fitted between timber framing,

    cellulose material blown directly on the hard

    and bonded polystyrene bead blown behind

    an existing wall lining. This trial was successfulas it showed that, in the case of four of the

    measures, the U-value was reduced to below0.3 (in the case of woodfibre board 0.19 was

    achieved) and monitoring over the last 18

    months has shown there to be no adverse

    build up of humidity in either the fabric of the

    masonry or at the interface of the masonryand the insulation.

    INSULATING FLOORS

    There can be significant benefits gainedfrom insulating ground floors in

    traditionally constructed

    buildings and recent site

    trials have examined

    various methods of floorinsulation. The research

    can broadly be split intotwo categories:

    insulating suspended

    timber floors and

    improving the performance of solid floors.

    At Wells OWearie Cottage, Edinburgh, part

    of the suspended timber floor was lifted and

    insulated using hemp board. This was held

    in place by the fixing of timber runners to

    the sides of floor joists, the insulating boardbeing laid on top of these having been cut to

    snugly fit between the joists.

    Two methods of insulating solid concrete

    floors have been examined in the current

    site trials. The simpler of the two is to lay a

    thin (30mm) aerogel insulating board ontop of the concrete floor, using adhesive.This method, which has been employed at

    the croft house in South Uist, requires the

    trimming of internal doors and therefore

    entails some loss of fabric but will certainly

    considerably improve the thermal

    performance of the f loor.

    The second method involves the lifting ofthe concrete and the laying of an insulated

    lime concrete floor in its place. This was the

    method used at the Garden Bothy,

    where the existing floor was

    excavated to a depth of 600mm

    and a 500mm layer ofLightweight Expanded Clay

    Aggregate (LECA) laid loose,

    followed by 100mm of lime

    concrete laid on top of this.

    The lime concrete was formed

    50Historic Scotlandsites will have

    improved insulationby 2013

    FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

    Hemp board insulation

    was used at Wells

    OWearie Cottage

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    Board-based materialused to as partof wall insulation

    Insulatingmaterial behindlath and plaster

    of LECA mixed with NHL 3.5 lime. The thermal

    benefits of this approach are considerable,

    although the process is both disruptive and

    time consuming, and will more than likely beused as part of a wider refurbishment.

    LOFT AND ROOF INSULATION

    There are two broad approaches to insulating

    a roof, either by laying insulation horizontally

    on the upper side of a ceiling (known as a coldroof) or between or over rafters (known as a

    warm roof). At both the Garden Bothy andWee Causeway, the cold roof method was

    used, with 250mm of sheeps wool and hemp

    bats employed respectively. This is a fairly

    simple procedure to carry out, and the

    important thing to note from these trials isthe choice of a natural, hydroscopic and

    vapour permeable material.

    At Milton of Buchanan Village Hall there was

    no loft space and warm roof insulation was

    therefore used. The product used was a mix of

    hemp and wool installed between the rafters

    with a 50mm air gap between the insulationand the underside of the sarking. This gap and

    the use of natural permeable material wasdesigned to minimise the likelihood of

    moisture condensing in the sarking board

    zone of the roof due to air-borne vapour from

    below or penetrating dampness from above.The final method of insulating a roof space was

    carried out at the Uist croft house and

    involved fitting wood fibre board insulationbehind the existing wall lining of a coombed

    ceiling in upper floor rooms. This involved the

    removal of existing v-groove timber linings,

    with the board being slid down behind. Care

    was taken not to completely fill the cavity

    behind, allowing ventilation to circulate

    around the underside of the roof.

    IMPROVING TRADITIONAL WINDOWS

    At Milton of Buchanan Hall andthe Rothesay tenement trials,

    secondary glazing was fitted.

    This has been shown to improve

    the U-value of single glazedwindows from 5.4 to 1.7. At the

    Garden Bothy, the single glazing

    in the existing windows was

    removed and replaced with thin

    profile double glazed units. At both South

    Uist and in a wider window trial in

    Stromness, Orkney new sash and casewindows incorporating double glazed units

    were manufactured and installed. Previous

    research has shown that the U-value of asash and case window can be improved from

    5.4 to 1.3 by installing such double glazed

    units. It should be noted that in all trials the

    windows were also draught stripped and atStromness the shutters were re-instated.

    CONCLUSION

    This article represents a very brief summary

    of the program of site trials currently being

    undertaken by Historic Scotland. By carrying

    out such research, it will become possible topresent a suite of options for improving the

    thermal performance of traditionally

    constructed buildings, using materials and

    methods that ensure the continued health of

    those buildings.

    Historic Scotland plan to use the site trials

    as the basis of a TechnicalManual on the subject, to be

    published early in 2012. The

    monitoring of the work

    undertaken, in terms of

    thermal improvement and

    problems with moistureconcentrations, continues. The

    results of these studies will be

    shown in case study papers periodically

    updated on the Historic Scotland

    Knowledge Base website.

    Through the completion of these trials

    and ongoing monitoring work, Historic

    Scotland has taken the lead in researchingmethods and materials for improving the

    thermal performance of traditionally

    constructed buildings, ensuring they

    continue to be an integral part of our built

    environment long into the future.

    HISTORICSCOTLAND HAS

    TAKEN THE LEAD INRESEARCHING

    THERMALPERFORMANCE

    Double glazed

    units in sash and

    case window

    Insulated lime concretewas used at one site

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    Contributors

    Scott BradyCarbon [email protected]

    Eleanor MitchellSustainability [email protected]

    Vanesa GonzalezSenior Outreach [email protected]

    Ailsa MurrayPaintings [email protected]

    Dorothy HoskinsTechnical Outreach and Education [email protected]

    Peter RansonDistrict [email protected]

    Craig KennedySenior Conservation [email protected]

    Jessica SnowSenior Technical Officer

    [email protected]

    Kirsty MacDonaldGaelic Language and Policy [email protected]

    Audrey TullyEnergy [email protected]

    Elizabeth McGrathPublications and Marketing [email protected]

    Lyn WilsonScottish Ten Project [email protected]

    Roger CurtisTechnical Research [email protected]

    Hugh MorrisonCollections [email protected]

    Ewan HyslopHead of Sustainability and [email protected]

    Nira PonniahDistrict [email protected]

    Moses JenkinsSenior Technical [email protected]

    Joann RussellClimate Change Architect

    [email protected]

    Ian LambieDistrict [email protected]

    Colin TennantHead of Traditional Skills and [email protected]

    Damiana MagrisPaintings [email protected]

    Rona WalkerCollections [email protected]

    David MitchellDirector of [email protected]

    Produced for Historic Scotland by Think Publishing Ltd.Think Publishing, 20-23 Woodside Place, Glasgow G3 7QF

    EditorAndrew Cattanach Email [email protected] Ball Sub-editorAndrew LittlefieldPublisherJohn Innes Email [email protected]

    www.thinkpublishing.co.uk Telephone 0141 582 1280

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    2012PUBLICATIONSCATALOGUE

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    2|Visit www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/conservation to order or view online

    INDEX

    BRICK AND CLAY

    17 Building Scotland

    Celebrating Scotlands

    Traditional Building Materials

    17 Inform House CD ROM Revised 2011

    03 Ceramic Tiled Flooring

    05 Repairing Brickwork

    06 Terracotta and Faience

    13 The Investigation, Repair andConservation of the Doulton

    Fountain, Glasgow Green

    BUILDING TYPES

    17 Building Scotland

    Celebrating Scotlands

    Traditional Building Materials

    08 Corrosion in Masonry Clad

    Early Twentieth-Century Steel

    Framed Buildings

    13 Cottiers in Context

    16 Historic Scotland Traditional

    Building Materials

    12 Scottish Iron Structures

    ENERGY CONSERVATION

    17 Inform House CD ROM Revised 201115 Embodied Carbon in Natural Building

    Stone in Scotland

    14 Energy Modelling in Traditional

    Scottish Houses

    14 Energy modelling of a Mid-19th-

    Century Villa

    15 Energy modelling of the Garden Bothy

    04 Improving Energy Efficiency in

    Traditional Buildings Revised 2011

    14 Indoor Air Quality and Energy

    Efficiency in Traditional Buildings

    15 Keeping Warm in a Cooler House

    15 Scottish Renaissance Interiors

    15 Slim profile Double Glazing Thermal

    Performance and Embodied Energy

    14 Thermal performance ofTraditional Windows

    15 U-values and traditional buildings

    GLASS

    17 Building Scotland

    Celebrating Scotlands

    Traditional Building Materials

    13 Cottiers in Context

    03 Domestic Decorative Glass

    05 Maintaining Traditional Plain

    Glass and Glazing

    GRAVEYARDS

    12 Conservation of

    Historic Graveyards

    10 Researching your Graveyard

    Reference Report10 Sources of Financial Assistance

    for the Conservation of

    Scotlands Historic Graveyards

    Reference Report

    MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR

    03 Bird Control on Buildings

    17 Building Scotland

    Celebrating Scotlands

    Traditional Building Materials

    17 Inform House CD ROM Revised 2011

    17 Conservation Case Study

    Hanoverian Coat of Arms

    17 Maintaining Your Home

    17 Sash And Case Windows

    12 Stone in Scotland

    13 The Investigation, Repair and

    Conservation of the Doulton

    Fountain, Glasgow Green

    11 The Performance of Replacement

    Sandstone in the New Town

    of Edinburgh

    18 The Repair of Historic Buildingsin Scotland

    07 The Treatment of Graffiti on

    Historic Surfaces

    METALS

    13 Architectural Ironwork in Stornoway

    03 Boundary Ironwork

    03 Bronze

    17 Building Scotland

    Celebrating Scotlands

    Traditional Building Materials

    03 Care and Maintenance of

    Corrugated Iron

    17 Inform House CD ROM Revised 2011

    08 Corrugated Iron and Other Ferrous

    Metal Cladding

    04 Finials and Terminals04 Fireplaces

    12 Scottish Iron Structures

    17 Technical Reference Series:

    Saracen Foundry

    06 The Maintenance of Cast Iron

    Rainwater Goods

    06 The Maintenance of Iron Gates

    and Railings

    PAINTS AND FINISHES

    17 Building Scotland

    Celebrating Scotlands

    Traditional Building Materials

    17 Inform House CD ROM Revised 2011

    17 Conservation Case Study

    Hanoverian Coat of Arms13 Conservation of Phoebe Anna

    Traquair Murals

    13 Cottiers in Context

    03 Decorative Paint Finishes: Graining

    and Marbling

    17 Easel Painting Conservation

    04 Gilding Techniques Care and

    Maintenance

    04 Interior Paint A Guide to Internal

    Paint Finishes

    PLASTER

    17 Building Scotland

    Celebrating Scotlands

    Traditional Building Materials

    08 Care and Conservation of 17th-

    Century Plasterwork in Scotland17 Inform House CD ROM Revised 2011

    07 Conservation of Plasterwork

    RECORDING AND SURVEYING

    12 Measured Survey and Building

    Recording for Historic Buildings

    and Structure

    07 Access to the Built Heritage

    17 Inform House CDROM Revised 2011

    17 Dictionary of Scottish Building

    09 Historic Landuse Assessment

    09 Laser Stonecleaning in Scotland

    08 Non-destructive Investigation of

    Standing Structures

    10 Parchment/Vellum Conservation

    Survey and Bibliography

    10 Scotlands