The Building Conservation Directory 2015

T W E N T Y S E C O N D E D I T I O N

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USEFUL INFORMAT ION

skills needs analysis,

Built Heritage Sector

Professionals: Current Skills, Future Training

was conducted by the National Heritage

Training Group in 2008. Of the building

professionals surveyed, 65 per cent did not feel

that their formal education had prepared them

adequately for working on pre-1919 buildings.

Furthermore, 68 per cent believed that much

of the skills and knowledge they needed for

heritage work had been self-taught.

The report also noted that while many

building professionals become members of

professional bodies few become building-

conservation accredited.

It is unsurprising then that English

Heritage, Historic Scotland, the Heritage

Lottery Fund and others have long recognised

the value of accreditation in allowing

clients to focus on those with the necessary

skills through exclusion of non-accredited

professionals from grant-aided work. This

approach has sometimes drawn resentment

from those who are not accredited and

oppose the principle of accreditation.

Accreditation is not the right route for

everyone but the aim of this article is to

inspire those not yet on their professional

achieve this.

FIRST STEPS

Recognising your own knowledge gaps is a

very good starting point and will help to give

some direction to your training. For example,

you may be working on minor alterations

to a timber frame building for a domestic

client but know little about timber. Use this

as an opportunity to attend a course on

timber framing to boost your CPD, and buy

yourself a good book on the subject (English

Heritage’s recently updated

Practical Building

Conservation

series is an excellent place to

start). Speak to other people on the course,

and see if you can visit a larger building that

they are working on. Perhaps there is a local

timber framing contractor who you could

shadow for a day. Or maybe there are other

historic timber buildings nearby that you

could draw and study at the weekend.

Some areas have local archaeology

or vernacular building recording groups

which can provide opportunities to learn

in a welcoming environment from those

with greater experience. Keep a notebook of

sketches, diagrams and notes to record what

you are seeing and learning.

Accreditation, however, requires more

than a knowledge of traditional building

methods and how they work. It also requires

a deep appreciation and understanding of

conservation philosophy, a broad view of

historical development and an ability to

apply these more ‘thoughtful’ skills to the

practical job of conserving a building or

site. There are many short courses which

focus on conservation philosophy and some

excellent resources which will guide you in this

direction. The Association for Studies in the

Conservation of Historic Buildings (ASCHB),

Conference on Training in Architectural

Conservation (COTAC) and the Institute of

Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) all have

excellent websites with wide-ranging guidance

and information on forthcoming courses

and CPD events (see further information),

but do make sure that these comply with

the ICOMOS Education and Training

Guidelines. Conservation events listings

also appear on page 190 of this directory and

online at

www.buildingconservation.com

The Understanding Conservation website

(see further information) is a very useful self-

assessment tool which takes users through a

series of free CPD units covering ethics and

conservation philosophy. Perhaps one of the

very best ways to gain a broad introduction

to the principles of conservation is to take

the SPAB’s week-long Repair of Old Buildings

Course or attend the RICS or IHBC summer

school and AGM events.

The SPAB, RIBA and IHBC all offer short

courses, conferences and CPD events aimed

at extending knowledge of conservation at

the practical, technical and philosophical

levels. There are many other groups such as

The Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors

Association (EASA) and the Building Limes

Forum which it would be worth becoming

involved with to extend your personal

conservation network and to gain a broader

perspective on your work.

For those with more time, a postgraduate

course in architectural conservation

might be the best option. For both RIBA

conservation accreditation and IHBC

membership the number of case studies

or years of experience required is reduced

for those who have completed a recognised

course, so it is advisable to read the guidelines

for accreditation schemes carefully when

choosing a professional training route.

Once you are in the mind-set of how to

acquire the necessary skills, you will find that

it becomes easier to broaden your knowledge.

The key when first applying for accreditation

is to make sure that you try to work for a

practice that has conservation experience, or

if that is not feasible, to sign up to the AABC

apprentice mentoring scheme. This means

that an experienced professional local to

you will offer guidance and support, helping

you throughout the process of gaining the

necessary experience. An alternative is to

aim to become a conservation registrant as

part of the RIBA accreditation scheme, and

then progress to higher levels as you gain

experience.

Don’t worry about the scale of the project

or the apparent lack of glamour in repointing a

wall – this is not what matters. What matters

is that you successfully demonstrate your

understanding of the process of conservation,

the principles involved, the different

approaches, and that you can self-evaluate

your involvement afterwards.

Keeping a sketchbook is an excellent way to record specialist terms, explain how things work and underpin

knowledge and understanding. (Illustration: Lucy Stewart)

IHBC branch events provide regular opportunities to

boost CPD and extend professional networks.