There is a proposal to revise BS7913:1998 (Guide to the principles of the conservation of historic buildings), and the British Standards Institute is looking at the business case for doing so, with comments invited by a closing date of 31 March.
Committee B/560 (Conservation of Cultural Tangible Heritage) will be responsible for this if BSI gives the go ahead.
Scope
The scope of the current BS 7913 is defined in that document as: “This guide provides information, advice and guidance on the principles of the conservation of historic buildings, and is thus applicable to buildings, civil engineering and other standing structures which are either included in the statutory list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest or are scheduled ancient monuments.” It also gives information on the settings of these buildings and structures, their interiors and associated contents, fixtures and fittings, and the design of new work in the context of historic buildings. Some of the information given can also be of relevance in assessing proposals for buildings of architectural or historic interest which are not listed or scheduled, particularly those which contribute to the special interest of conservation areas.”
Research on sustainability and energy efficiency has developed considerably in the last ten years. New principles and good practice need to be captured for a revised Standard.
Purpose
BS 7913 was published in 1998 and has not been revised since. There have been developments in the principles and philosophy of conservation, moving more strongly towards a value-led rather then fabric-led approach. The publication of English Heritage’s Conservation Principles (2008) and Planning Policy Statement 5 (for England) and the Scottish Historic Environment Policy (2009) reflect this. There have also been changes in terminology, such as the much more frequent use of the term ‘heritage asset’ to encompass both protected and unprotected elements of the historic environment. There has been a change of emphasis in protection of the historic environment to a process of ‘managing change’ based on an assessment of the cultural significance of the asset, which has important policy and procedural ramifications.
To see the proposal and comment see: LINK
