Industrial masonry chimneys: A forgotten symbol or a cherished heritage?

The conservation of industrial heritage is a relatively recent issue, but it has gained importance not only by the scientific community but also by the citizens, some of them gathered in groups that demand their safeguard. This growing interest raises questions such as; "What and why to preserve?", "What values should be safeguarded?". These questions may have different answers depending on the social groups of interest. One essential factor to answer these questions is to understand how citizens can be involved in built heritage conservation. This communication intends to discuss these questions by presenting several initiatives that integrate Citizen Science in a contribution to the conservation of old industrial ceramic masonry chimneys. This contribution is part of a master's thesis in civil engineering that also intends to make a physical characterization of some representative old industrial chimneys and an inventory of those chimneys in Portugal, counting with contributions of interested people.