Butser Ancient Farm and Exeter University Collaborative Experiment for Alternative Roofing Materials скачать в хорошем качестве

Butser Ancient Farm and Exeter University Collaborative Experiment for Alternative Roofing Materials

Fergus Milton (UK) Butser Ancient Farm has constructed many roundhouses since 1972 but with modern thatching materials on most roofs. This collaboration between Butser and Exeter will investigate alternative materials to improve roof authenticity. Exeter University runs an MSc course in Experimental Archaeology for whose students this project will be an opportunity to construct and evaluate an experiment. Butser has historical constructions from prehistoric to Saxon periods and staff experienced in historic building and maintenance. Our complimentary skills and resources will enable collaboration that may lead to major change in how historic constructed rooves are built. Significant project elements we will discuss include: Designing an experiment to test roof effectiveness using different materials contemporary to prehistoric southern Britain. The presentation will discuss design considerations for a building test rig with roof pitch adjustment, and the monitoring parameters and criteria to evaluate roof effectiveness. For comparison and a consistent approach, the experiment should be established by the same team at Butser and Exeter. Seasonal limitations for the chosen materials must be considered, and for comparisons, panels of currently used roofing material and straw from ancient wheat varieties must be included. A project timescale of 2 years will allow robust data gathering on material effectiveness and lifespan. Failure is a vital component of learning and the presentation will discuss the identification and handling of material or methodology failures. The earliest Butser experiments were with primitive wheats, but seeing these crops growing highlights their variability in height and habit, making it hard to believe they would make good thatching material. This experiment allows a thorough evaluation of the alternative materials and will help Butser enter its second half-century with more accurate and proven rooves, tested and evaluated in public experiments. #EXARC #ExperimentalArchaeology #EAC12