The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC), the key professional body for built and historic environment conservation specialists, has warmly welcomed new guidance on school refurbishment produced by CABE in England. Called ‘New from old’, it highlights the creative potential of refurbishment as an alternative to new-build.
Dr Seán O’Reilly, IHBC Director, added: ‘The guidance is an important reminder that the hard-pressed systems of listing and designation are not the only answer to managing places effectively. Better places can be created using buildings that are already there simply by improving standards in planning, construction and design. Listing is the best tool for the most important structures, but CABE confirms that we can re-invigorate places and minimise carbon emissions simply by doing the development job better. We do need to resolve the economics, however, and address VAT anomalies that can mean it is cheaper to demolish than improve’.
References: For IHBC see: www.ihbc.org.uk
For Historic Scotland see: http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/
For CABE Guidance see: http://tinyurl.com/c2rsje
Queries: Seán O’Reilly: (0131) 5583671; director@ihbc.org.uk
