Gord and Ben have been working together since 1998 when they first met at the University of York, UK. Collectively they bring more than 60-years of experience in the field of cultural heritage. In 2016 they formed Heritageworks to combine their love of practical building conservation with their dedication to academic research and innovation. The result is a conservation company that is equally comfortable using an axe or any number of emerging technologies. The business is site-based, hands-on, and community-focused. Remote wilderness locations with complex logistics are preferred!
Many of our conservation projects are multi-year or multi-decadal in nature, and most of them involve diverse groups of stakeholders. It is not unusual for our projects to begin very modestly and then develop over time as we incrementally leverage the successes of each previous season’s work, to attract ever-larger grants and tackle increasingly challenging project objectives, year on year. This model works especially well in circumstances where there are multiple stakeholders with diverse perspectives, or when projects have complex histories, because it gives us the time necessary to develop new relationships and earn the trust of the communities we work with.
We work both nationally and internationally to assess and conserve historic buildings, cultural landscapes, monuments, and objects/artefacts. We specialize in the investigation and repair of wooden built structures and large/moveable objects. We have assessed hundreds of log and timber buildings.
Gord teaches condition assessment of wooden built structures to mid-career architects, engineers, and conservators as part of the International Wood Conservation Course run by the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), Riksantikvaren (Directorate for Cultural Heritage, Norway) and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTU). Gord and Ben have also co-taught multiple courses on condition assessment as part of the University of Victoria (UVic) Practical Building Conservation Program and Heritage Field School.
Our assessment and recording methods vary according to the circumstances of each project and the overall project objectives. We use the following methods and technologies:
- Desk-based archival research, community-based consultation, and values-assessments.
- Building archaeology and archaeological geophysics of historic sites, including magnetometry (Bartington Grad61), GPR (Leica DSX), and electrical resistivity (RM15-D).
- Risk assessments and climate change impact assessments.
- Comprehensive site surveys with RTK GNSS (Hemishere S631),
- Terrestrial and portable laser-scanning (Faro Focus 60, GeoSLAM ZEB Horizon)
- UAV photography, aerial and terrestrial photogrammetry (DJI MiniPro5, 2x DJI Air3S, DJI Matrice 4E).
- Conventional measured drawings, resulting in 2D and 3D drawing packages including complete materials and repair specifications, precedent repairs, and repair details.
- Materials testing, wood species identification, dendrochronology, mycological analysis (fungi/decay species identification and micrography).
- Resistography (IML F400, IML F600, Rintech R650-PR)
- Wood moisture assessments (Delmhorst RDM3, Wagner L601)
- Trial repairs and architectural mock-ups.
- Detailed work-planning including construction documents, tender packages, treatment methodologies, safety plans, work methodologies, and cost plans.
During condition assessments we often work in real time via video with our structural engineering partners to interrogate historic buildings and to discuss repair options. At remote locations we connect via satellite internet (Starlink Mini).
Our team works closely with universities, building professionals, local societies, Elders, and all levels of Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments to deliver effective and lasting conservation projects.