Das Projekt "System and methods for assessing conservation state and environmental risks for outer wooden parts of cultural buildings" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Deutsches Zentrum für Handwerk und Denkmalpflege durchgeführt. Objective: Develop and validate. - Systems and methods for assessing the conservation state for the outer wooden parts of cultural buildings. - Methods for measuring 1) continuous surface time of wetness (TOW) and resulting moisture content inside wood (INWOOD), 2) integrative damage to wood. - Methods for assessing and mapping environmental risk factors and areas for wood on meso and micro scale in some locations in Europe. General Information: The system (protocol) will be synthesized from the national systems and methods that are under development in the participating countries, and will be validated by assessing a representative sample of buildings in the chosen locations in Germany, in Poland, in Norway, and in Sweden. In Germany and Poland this also include a review of ongoing restoration work at the buildings. The system will consist of a PC-based sampling protocol, including an atlas for categorising types and degrees of damages and a method for their graphical mapping on buildings, and a guiding manual for need and type of measuring methods to be used at the various levels of examination. The protocol will also contain an overview of causes and effects of damages, based on the 'best available knowledge'. Limits, benefits and appropriate application for the protocol will be reviewed. Measurement methods for moisture are based on the NILU WETCORR measuring device, where the existing gold sensor measures surface of wetness, while nail electrodes will be developed into a new sensor application, WETCORR INWOOD, for continuously measuring the uptake and distribution of moisture within wood. Integrative Measurement methods for damage will include anatomy of wood, microbiological activities and building strength ness. The assessment of environmental risk factors will be based on calculating Scheffer's climatic index for potential wood decay from existing meteorological monthly data for temperature and duration of precipitation at the chosen locations, and on measurements of selected climatic variables at one site on each location. By comparison with the WETCORR data for wetness duration and temperature, this climatic risk factors can be transformed to a WETCORR based Climatic Risk Factor (CRF) for the micro-environmental conditions at the locations and on the buildings. Prime Contractor: Norwegian Institute for Air Research; Kjeller; Norway.