| CODE | BLH4028 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Traditional Materials and Techniques 2: Decorative Architectural Surfaces | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 04 - Years 4, 5 in Modular UG or PG Cert Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Conservation and Built Heritage | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | After the introduction of the SU BLH4027 'Traditional Materials and Techniques 1', this study-unit will provide an in-depth view of the main materials and technological processes used to produce a selection of decorative architectural surfaces. This will also include key developments of these technological processes in the Maltese as well as the more general Mediterranean, European and broader contexts. The importance of understanding traditional materials and techniques when defining the values of cultural heritage will also be emphasised, and the importance of studying and understanding them prior to conserving a work of art. Primary sources and technical studies related to decorative architectural surfaces will be analysed. Students will be asked to research a specific technological process in relation to a traditional artifact and to present their research in an assignment at the end of the study-unit. Actual case studies will be examined first-hand during the site visits. The site visit component is designed to encourage the students to put into practice the theoretical frameworks acquired in the classroom, in order to 'read' a decorative architectural surface and/or a building, understand its materials and how it was created. Emphasis will also be placed on the use of traditional materials, tools and technologies, to then develop practical and manual skills -including manual dexterity- in the unit BLH4032 'Development of Practical and Manual Skills 2: Decorative Architectural Surfaces'. Study-Unit Aims: - Provide an in-depth view to the traditional materials, techniques and technologies used for a target selection of decorative architectural surfaces from antiquity to the present, through the use of primary sources and technical studies; - Equip students with an understanding of the implications of materials and technologies for the assessment of values of these decorative surfaces; - Provide tools to recognise materials and techniques from the observation and analysis of the decorative architectural surface and/or a building on site; - Provide an insight on the chemical and physical properties of the materials composing decorative architectural surfaces; - Supply the research tools to understand original materials and techniques of a decorative architectural surface and be able to replicate it. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify and describe the complex stratigraphy of a decorative architectural surface; - Define the processes used in the manufacture of a given decorative architectural surface; - Use the appropriate terminology to describe traditional manufacturing processes of decorative architectural surfaces; - Identify the physical and chemical characteristics and properties of the main classes of materials composing a decorative architectural surface. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Apply the observation skills learnt during the course to systematically describe the stratigraphy and the process of making of a decorative architectural surface, a replica and/or a real case study; - Identify key stages and events in the history of an object through an examination of its materials and workmanship; - Explain the implications that physical and chemical properties of original materials have on the overall behaviour of the decorative architectural surface; - Be able to write a technical report to describe the original technique of a decorative architectural surface. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Historic England. 2011. Practical Building Conservation: Mortars, Renders and Plasters. Henri, A. and Stewart, J. (Eds) (Available at Main Library General) - Hansen, E. F., Rodr铆guez-Navarro, C., & Balen, K. (2008). Lime putties and mortars. Studies in conservation, 53(1), 9-23 (Available on the UM HyDi portal) - Elert, K., Rodriguez-Navarro, C., Pardo, E. S., Hansen, E., & Cazalla, O. (2002). Lime mortars for the conservation of historic buildings. Studies in Conservation, 47(1), 62-75. (Available on the UM HyDi portal) - Charola, A. E., P眉hringer, J., & Steiger, M. (2007). Gypsum: a review of its role in the deterioration of building materials. Environmental geology, 52(2), 339-352. (Available on the UM HyDi portal) - Historic England. 2015. Practical Building Conservation: Earth, Brick and Terracotta. English Heritage (Available on https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/earth-brick-terracotta-conservation/earth-brick-terracotta-marketing-spread/) - Howard, H. 2003. Pigments of English Medieval Wall Painting. Archetype, (Available at Main Library General) - Carlyle, L. "Reconstructions of Oil Painting Materials and Techniques : The HART Model for Approaching Historical Accuracy." Reconstruction, Replication and Re-enactment in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Amsterdam: Amsterdam UP, 2021. 141-68 (Available thorugh University online resources). - Eastaugh, N., Walsh, V., Chapli, T., & Siddall, R. (2008). Pigment compendium. A Dictionary and Optical Microscopy of Historical Pigments. Routledge (Available at Main Library General) - Mills, J.S., & White, R. (1994). The Organic Chemistry of Museum Objects (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann (Available at Bighi Library). Supplementary Readings: - Jan Valek. 2015. Lime Technologies of Historic Buildings: Preparation of Specialised Lime Binders for Conservation of Historic Buildings. - Van Balen, K. 2003. Understanding the lime cycle and its influence on historical construction practice. In Proceedings of the First International Congress on Construction History (Vol. 20, p. 24th). Universidad Polit茅cnica de Madrid: Instituto Juan de Herrera. - Elsen, J., Balen, K. V., & Mertens, G. 2012. Hydraulicity in historic lime mortars: a review. in RILEM Bookseries Jan 2012, DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-4635-0_10, Historic Mortars Conference 2012, 125-139 - Freire, M. T., Silva, A. S., do Ros谩rio Veiga, M., & de Brito, J. 2019. Studies in ancient gypsum based plasters towards their repair: Mineralogy and microstructure. Construction and Building Materials, 196, 512-529. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Study-units: Traditional Materials and Tecniques 1 | |||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Fieldw, Ind Study, Lec, Tut, Onl L, Grp L & Semi | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Grazia De Cesare Indra Kneepkens Patrick Dietemann Roberta De Angelis Jennifer Porter |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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