The Conference on Training in Architectural Conservation (COTAC) is delighted to announce the launch of the new Understanding Conservation website at http://www.understandingconservation.org/
COTAC writes:
The website offers a comprehensive course on building conservation, designed to be accessible to practitioners and students, as well as clients and the general public. It is the only freely available wholly educational website in support of all of the professional body accreditation schemes.
The course offered by the site is based on the Education and Training Guidelines published by ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, in 1993. The learning material is structured in five units: Cultural Significance, Aesthetic Qualities, Investigation, Materials and Technology, Social and Financial Issues and Conservation Works.
The launch of the new website is part of COTAC’s ongoing efforts to enhance the quality and availability of resources for building conservation.
The re-built website has new imagery and a clear modern design to make the site more user-friendly and encourage user-interaction. It is designed to be inclusive and cross-sector, and an educational resource for all involved in conservation of the historic environment.
The site has been rebuilt on a robust open-source content management system that will allow the material to be extended in future. The site is also fully responsive, that is, it can be easily read on a variety of platforms, from mobile phone to desk-top computer.
The website was first developed with the support of the pan-professional Edinburgh Group in 2007. Since its launch the site has been in regular use by individual professionals applying for the conservation accreditation status in all the UK schemes. It is hoped that the new site will encourage more users to work through the units.
COTAC promotes good practice in the education and training of all disciplines involved in building conservation and has over 30 affiliated organizations, including the IHBC.
For full details about COTAC visit the COTAC website at: www.cotac.org.uk
For the web resource see: http://www.understandingconservation.org/
