Göran Andersson and Peter Sjömar

Knowledge and methods - proposal for interesting questions, practical demonstrations, discussions and documentation in Workshop 1: the two churches of Baica and Racâs, Romania.

In some way or another all the workshops in principal should include the following moments according to the restoration object in question:
1. Examination of the existing building (not noticing damages and suggestions for mending the damages)
2. Examination of damages (not suggesting mending of the damages)
3. Suggestions for measurements according to the damages in the existing building
4. Execution of agreed measurements (or according to the sanctioned restoration programme)
5. Evaluation of the executed (chosen parts of the) restoration work

The workshop could include two themes
1.    Craftsman knowledge about material and construction methods
2.    Restoration - conservation, repair, reinforcement, reconstruction

To enrich the restoration and the discussion around that (2) we should pick some of the proposed ingredients from point 1. Not everything of that is possible to carry out during the workshop of two weeks, but we make a presentation that everybody can read before and then we can decide what is the most interesting parts. We shall also remember that we are about 21 participants and we don´t have to do every moments all together.

1. Craftsman knowledge (excursions - practical demonstrations - discussions/practical comparisons)

"From the forest into the building".

The forest and the raw material - criteria's for choosing good wood for different kind of constructions (visit in forest if possible). For what kind of constructions is/was different kind of trees (oak, pine etc.) used.
How is/was the raw material treated and dried - practical demonstrations of different kind of methods for treatment of the wood, cutting log-beams with axes, cutting planks with axes or saws and so on (if possible a visit to an old sawmill).

How to make a log construction - practical demonstration of the most common methods (maybe this can be shown by Mr Hotico in the new church above Ieud). How the different logs are chosen, how to lift the logs up on the construction, and different moments in the corner-timbering technique.

Constructions of standing beams, towers and galleries. As before: what kind of wood. How to make different types of joints. How to solve the problem of standing and laying logs in the same construction. Measuring methods. What kind of tools. How to rise the beams.

The method for making the roof of shingles.
The thin "beams" of wood that the shingles are fastened to - material, other known methods (historic and present).
From where is the raw material taken - criteria's for good wood for making shingles (visit in forest if possible).
The process from raw material including drying and storing - other known methods (historic and present).
How many layers/the size of the shingles - other known methods (historic and present).
How to make the special form of the shingles - other known forms (historic and present).
What kind of nails - other known methods for fastening the shingles (historic and present).
What kind of tools (maybe a possibility to buy tools).

The ground, sill, floor construction and flooring. Specially focused on the flooring methods, the other moments can be discussed according to the log-construction.

This, together with lectures, could give the participants some answers to bring back home:

What of the construction and the form of the church could be explained by this being orthodox churches?

What can be explained by this being churches situated in Transylvania/the northern parts of Romania?

What are the specific criteria's for churches in general (compared to profane buildings), for orthodox churches in particular and also churches in northern Romania in particular?

Together with a visit in a nearby village we can try to find the connection between the church and "the place": what kind of similarities and differences can we find according to material, constructions, technique and forms between the church and the vernacular architecture?

2. Restoration - moments and discussions about conservation, repair, reinforcement, reconstruction

We divide into the national groups.

Examination made by comparison with the existing drawings and the already approved measurements. The groups shall briefly understand the whole building during this moment and record certain "values" that the group find interesting: historic traces of tools and techniques - joints, wood preparation methods - the material itself, special details in forms and so on. It is important that this is a special moment so all participants get the possibility to understand the building. We shall not mix this moment with analysing damages and suggestions for different measurements. The point is that we all get a chance to discuss and analyse the original construction and the changes made over time, separated from questions about damages and restoration methods, otherwise we will have a too mixed and confused discussion (our experience).

After that each group record and analyses the damages. Each group doesn't have to record the damages in the whole building, there could be a division of tasks: for example two groups on the tower and so on. But there has to be some overlapping of groups and tasks so that we will have a discussion.

Then suggestions for measurements for different restoration moments and discussion.

In this way we hope that everyone will get the opportunity to understand the building, the known historic facts about the church added. We also hope that we will achieve a discussion that exposes the different countries ways of making diagnosis and chose the way of treatment (conservation, repair, reinforcement, reconstruction).

Moments of restoration work.

Evaluation.

home