Protecting our built heritage and collections

Buildings and collections of historical significance will be safeguarded for future generations, thanks to a new project from Cardiff University.

PERFFORM, led by academics at the School of History, Archaeology and Religion and the Welsh School of Architecture, will use the latest scientific techniques to understand how environmental factors can impact historic buildings and collections, offering guidance for their preservation.

It is one of 31 initiatives unveiled by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science (RICHeS) programme. The projects will unlock the potential of existing heritage collections, providing access to untapped cultural assets to safeguard and grow the UK’s £29bn heritage sector.

Cardiff University’s PERFFORM facility will house state-of-the-art equipment, allowing users to examine historic buildings and the environmental conditions within them. They will be able to model the environment’s impact on structures and artefacts, to ensure they last for generations to come, as well as  to consider the suitability of energy efficiency measures.

Experts from the University will also be able to visit sites with mobile equipment, giving on-the-ground insights into their condition and preservation.

Project director Dr Nicola Emmerson, of Cardiff University’s School of History, Archaeology and Religion, said: “This funding will bring huge benefits to Wales and its heritage. The preservation of historical artefacts is dependent on the environment within which they sit and climate change is making this issue more pressing and increasingly complex. The PERFFORM lab will provide a climate simulation facility, drawing on the University’s extensive expertise in this area, so that organisations have the knowledge to be able to accurately assess how to make their buildings fit for purpose for years to come.”

Fellow co-lead Professor Oriel Prizeman of the Welsh School of Architecture said: “It is possible to cause unanticipated harm when retrofitting historic buildings with limited understanding of how they perform. Accurate surveying and environmental modelling can be expensive and out of reach for smaller projects such as domestic properties. Our state-of-the-art digital toolkit will make the ability to analyse and understand their optimal environmental performance a much more accessible goal.”

The National Trust, Historic Environment Scotland,  English Heritage and Historic England are also among the 100 partners from across all four nations of the UK and overseas that will create a genuinely world-leading network of heritage expertise.

Together they will ensure the UK maintains its international reputation as a cultural heritage superpower.

The RICHeS programme is funded by an £80 million investment from the UKRI Infrastructure Fund and delivered by AHRC.

AHRC Executive Chair, Professor Christopher Smith said: “The UK has a rich and unparalleled cultural heritage and is a global leader in the science of heritage conservation. By investing in heritage science, we are not only unleashing new understanding about our cultural assets but boosting a world-leading heritage economy that will benefit us all.”