S-MA-C-H is an innovative start-up promoting the introduction of mechanical engineering into conservation and cultural heritage studies. Based in France, our team works on projects all over Europe.

Our experimental approach is key to achieve breakthrough, at the interface between arts and engineering. The mechanical behaviour of complex and aged materials  (i.a. strain and failure) is tested at multiple scales, with innovative and non-invasive optical and mechanical techniques.

The team nucleated around outstanding scientific missions, such as the annual monitoring of the Mona Lisa and the Musee Fabre's Sainte Trinité project. Part of the team also bonded internationally, with projects at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam focused on the control of the deformation and damage of fragile artworks. The lack of tools available to the conservation field for the study the structural integrity of historical artefacts convinced us to join forces. S-MA-C-H was created as an independent structure to offer easy and accessible solutions to concrete conservation issues.

Established between Avignon, Paris and Amsterdam, our start-up travels throughout Europe. Our reactivity allows us to intervene on a location within a day if necessary. Thanks to our international network, we are always at the cutting-edge of engineering and research for the dynamic and quasi-static monitoring of structures' integrity. S-MA-C-H also develops strategies and tools to monitor structures' integrity and their analysis. The three of us strive for the preservation of cultural heritage, combining complementary disciplines: cultural heritage conservation, mechanical engineering and data analysis.