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• Free open weekend at The Engine Shed in Stirling to learn about making historic buildings more energy efficient.
• The event is open to people with all levels of technical skills and includes family-friendly activities.
• Visitors will learn about the intersection of traditional skills and modern technology.

Scotland’s first dedicated building conservation centre, The Engine Shed, will open its doors this weekend for a free, family-friendly event in Stirling run by Historic Environment Scotland (HES).

The Energy Efficiency Open Weekend will offer tips on retrofitting historic buildings to reduce their energy needs while maintaining the traditional materials and design that make the buildings so special. Visitors do not need to have any technical expertise or knowledge beyond an interest in making their homes or other buildings more energy efficient.

During the sessions, visitors will see first-hand how traditional skills and modern technology work together. They will have the opportunity to experience The Howff, a cutting-edge immersive experience, visit the Digital Imaging Lab, and see a giant 3D printer up close.

Experts will also be available to discuss learnings from common retrofitting techniques that have been used throughout Scotland and direct people to additional resources to further their knowledge.

Rachael Dorman, Programme Delivery Manager at Historic Environment Scotland, said: “We always love bringing in members of the public to learn more about the work we do. Scotland’s built heritage is incredibly important, but we also need to be mindful of things that weren’t considered when these structures were built.

“Retrofitting buildings to make them more energy efficient is also a key part of helping Scotland reach its net zero targets. This is a great opportunity for people to learn about how they can be a part of that.”

The HES Technical Education and Training team will also be running an interactive craft zone to give visitors the opportunity to learn the basics of stonemasonry through soap carving and expand their architectural skills with construction games. Colouring pages and bee bomb making activities will be available for younger guests.

Sessions will run promptly from 10:30a-12:30p and 1:30p-3:30p on both Saturday 18^th and Sunday 19^th November. Advance booking is not required.

Additional information is available on The Engine Shed website.