Projects
Historical Coating Technologies - Sustainable Handling of Historic Steel Beams and Technical Cultural Heritage
Description: Historic anti-corrosion coatings on steel beams and technical cultural artifacts often contain material that are now classified as health hazards. These include red lead, chromium pigments, or asbestos fibersin topcoat layers. In practice, complete abrasive removal of all coatings is often proposed or even considered standard. However, this approach not only involves high cost and environmental as well as health risks, but also leads to a loss of historical material.
The project „Historische Beschichtungstechnologien – Nachhaltiger Umgang mit historischen Stahlträgern und technischem Kulturgut“ ("Historical Coating Technologies - Sustainable Handling of Historic Steel Beams and Technical Cultural Heritage") develops an alternative strategy: instead of a global removal, historic coatings are to be examined, evaluated, and, where possible, supplemented based on targeted analyses and defined parameters regarding their reparability. Full abrasion is not necessary in every case. Preserving historic coatings not only spares resources and protexts valuable technological heritage, but also reduces contaminated blasting material, easing the burden on future generations. However, standards for the preservation and further treatment of historic coating systems are currently lacking, which the project seeks to address.
The aim is to develop standardized recommendations for action in collaboration with a community of heritage conservators, restorers, and craftspeople. Subsequently, these will be incorporated into a WTA guideline, enabling broad awareness through the transfer of knowledge in the wider In TraBau community.This will create a foundation for the critical reflection of common blasting practices, shifting the focus toward thorough preliminary investigations, preservations, and maintenance.
The project includes archive and literature research, expert workshops, the development of sustainable parameters and processes, comprehensive material analyses, and the creation of test areas on selected objects to verify the results. As part of the overarching InTraBau community, the project is dedicated to the exchange between practical experience and scientific research. It is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) under the “DATI-pilot” funding program.
Project Lead: Tauber; Marianne
Funding Body: Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt
Project Duration: 01.08.2025 - 31.07.2028
Art-Technological Investigations of the Veit Stoß Altarpiece in Bamberg Cathedral
Non-invasive art-technological investigations and binding media analyses of the Veit Stoß Altarpiece in the Bamberg Cathedral are carried out in cooperation with the Bamberg Archdiocesan Ordinariate (Department of Art & Culture) and the Restoration Department of the Bavarian State Office for Monument Protection (BLfD) in Munich.
- Project Lead: Marianne Tauber
- Project Duration: 16 July 2024 - 30 September 2026
Art-Technological Investigation of Murals in a 16th-Century Secular Building (Zug, Switzerland)
Art-technological examination of murals using imaging techniques in secular buildings at Ägeristraße 3 in Zug (Switzerland), in collaboration with the Cantonal Heritage Conservation Office in Zug (Natalie Wey, Saskia Roth, Anette JeanRichard, Claude Caviglia, Martin Hübi).
- Project Lead: Marianne Tauber
- Project Duration: 01 March 2023 - 31 December 2026
Egyptian Blue - Murals in the UNESCO World Heritage Monastery of St. John, Müstair (Switzerland)
Analysis of the potential effects of ammonium carbonate on glazes containing Egyptian Blue. Identification of organic binding media.
A joint analytical project with the St. Johann monastery; visiting researcher Camilla Tennenini and conservator Caterina Leandri.
Project Lead: Tauber, Marianne; Cassitti, Patrick