The scientific and technological advancement expected by the SyMBoL “Sustainable Management of heritage Buildings in a Long-term perspective” project will be a milestone to solve the debate about the appropriate environmental conditions for historical buildings and cultural heritage collections care in time of climate change, mass tourism and issues connected with the energy use.

The project will provide the necessary evidence-based data to understand what the circumstances are - in term of use and climate conditions - that can induce mechanical decay on polychrome wood in heritage buildings, as in the case of the stave churches in Norway.

Such knowledge will be obtained through:

experiments in the lab, studying the accumulation of climate-induced mechanical damage in wooden samples mimicking original elements;

monitoring campaigns in the stave churches, directly tracing - with the use of no-invasive and no-destructive technique - the fracture intensity of micro-cracks in original elements;

numerical simulation, reproducing water vapour uptake/release and related internal stresses.

The results will be beneficial for local authorities, conservators, and decision makers to understand hazards, to prioritize conservation treatments for painted wood structure, and to be effective in planning indoor climate management. Last but not least, the results will be beneficial also for the general public as an effective cultural heritage management will guarantee a safer preservation of historic buildings and their content and will promise an higher comfort for visitors while minimizing the energy consumption.