The IHBC, with BRE and the College of Estate Management, are co-sponsoring COTAC’s 2012 conference, ‘Past Caring? BIM and the refurbishment of older buildings’, which will take place on 7 November at BRE Watford.
Seán O’Reilly, IHBC Director, said: ‘Many will remember the tremendous advocacy generated by COTAC’s 2011 conference over the potential damage of the ‘Green Deal’ programme. The IHBC’s then Education Secretary – and current COTAC trustee – John Preston led the way for the IHBC, helping win a remarkably high profile for this key conservation issue. The partnership generated there is still working through these challenging matters in discussions with government.’
‘Without the consolidated, informed and inter-disciplinary discussions generated by that 2011 COTAC conference, also co-sponsored by IHBC, we’d be much lower down in the ever-expanding pile of worries the government faces under this initiative’.
Ingval Maxwell, COTAC trustee and lead organiser of the conference, said: ‘Building upon the success of our 2011 conference, Improving Thermal Performance of Traditional Buildings, the 2012 international event will address the issue of how the UK’s traditionally constructed 6 million properties can effectively survive in continuing use into the future. With pending initiatives such as the Green Deal, and the introduction of Building Information Modelling (BIM) requirements, the underlying challenge is to ensure that such properties fundamentally can achieve, and remain in, a fit state of health.’
The conference organisers write:
This conference will focus on whole-life initiatives that can be achieved through interdisciplinary working. It will be useful to a wide variety of owners, practitioners, trainers and policy makers. On attendance, delegates will gain valuable experience and a broad understanding of the benefits of having relevant data and the different techniques that are available, and being developed, to help ensure the future well being of the countries’ traditional building stock.
There is an agreed desire to ensure that our buildings have a sustainable future. Central to achieving this is how to ensure that associated actions and developments are equally sustainable in practice.
In considering the range of topics that have to be reflected upon, the conference will look at how existing information on the physical condition can be put to best advantage in determining an integrated way forward. Building upon European experience, such as the success of the Monumentenwacht scheme, and the recently concluded EU-Cultural Heritage Identity Card FP7 research project involving a consortium of 12 partners from 11 countries, the conference will also consider how data from the National House Condition Surveys can assist in determining a cohesive approach to the issues involved.
See conference details, book, and review the papers form the 2011 conference at: LINK
For the impact of the 2011 conference see the IHBCs Newsblog summary at: LINK
For regular reports on the progress with the Green Deal and other conservation news, keep an eye on IHBC’s Home Page, or sign up for IHBC membership and email alerts, by following links from www.ihbc.org.uk
