The Institute of Historic Building Conservation response to the Consultation on ‘PAS 2035’, with the IHBC’s response, led by John Preston, IHBC Green Panel Convener and STBA Heritage Chair, giving ‘a warm welcome to PAS 2035, while suggesting a number of improvements, notably stressing the need for appropriate repair as the vital first step.’
John Preston said:
Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Conference announcement of a “green jobs revolution”, with £12.8BN to be set aside for home insulation alone in a first Labour term, poses the same questions, writ even larger, as the present Government is facing. With buildings of traditional construction making up at least 25% of the stock, but the industry and its training focused on modern construction and off-the-peg solutions, what hope is there of getting a suitably trained workforce able to put buildings in appropriate good repair (the essential first step before retrofit measures are installed) and install appropriate retrofit measures? Labour proposes 160,000 new jobs delivering insulation: how on earth might up to 40,000 people be trained to work on traditional buildings within a parliamentary term?
Corbyn’s announcement has shone an even closer focus on the current Government’s retrofit programme, 2 key elements of which have just been subject to consultation: the BSI PAS 2030 for retrofit installers, and PAS 2035 covering retrofit assessment, design and specification. The draft PAS 2030 is an update of the existing, first introduced in 2011; the draft PAS 2035 is a vital and very welcome introduction of a coordinating assessment and design approach, following holistic principles as promoted by the IHBC, STBA and CIOB. However PAS 2035 is likely to be strongly criticised by established industry and other vested interests. IHBC’s response has given a warm welcome to PAS 2035, while suggesting a number of improvements, notably stressing the need for appropriate repair as the vital first step.
However the elephant in the room remains training for traditional construction: there is still no sign that either the Government or Labour have any understanding of the scale of change needed to industry training and practice, to avoid unnecessary damage, and wastage of money and carbon, in inappropriate retrofits to, and subsequent rectification of at least 25% of the stock.
John Preston is IHBC Green Panel Convener, former IHBC Education Secretary, STBA Heritage Chair, and author of ‘The Context for Skiils Education and Training’, Journal of Architectural Conservation 2006; (Download the PDF)
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