A petition proposed by the Heritage Skills Hub has been set up on the HM Government E-Petition site calls for construction, repair and retrofit of heritage buildings to be integrated into craft and professional construction courses, and closes on 19 March 2015.
IHBC Director Seán O’Reilly said: ‘The petition is an important proposal that we can warmly welcome for the contribution it can make to the repair agenda for traditional building across all curriculums and at all levels. Practical traditional building skills and an understanding of the needs for appropriate and sensitive repair are vital for the sustainability of our historic environment’.
The petition reads:
More emphasis needs to be given to the different mentoring requirements for the repair, restoration and retrofit of pre-1919 buildings in the UK. Current 16 yrs+ educational courses for both building crafts like stonemasons, bricklayers & roofers; and professionals such as architects, engineers & surveyors, focus on the new build environment and not old building restoration and repair. If you are not taught to understand how an old building is constructed – how can you repair, maintain or retrofit it correctly using appropriate skills and materials? ?Mainstreaming general knowledge of traditional building construction will significantly improve the sustainability of our historic buildings. ?Adding your name to our petition will help us to raise awareness of the fact that Traditional Buildings make up one fifth of the UK building stock. Traditional building skills, materials and techniques, retrofit, restoration & conservation should be an integral part of ALL built environment courses.
The petition is open until 19 March 2015, please sign this important motion and pass it on to colleagues.
