RIBA Conservation Guide

RIBA Conservation Guide, Marion Barter, Anna Joynt, David McDonald, Andrew Shepherd, RIBA Publishing, 2024, 264pp, 168 illustrations, paperback.

Historic England defines conservation as ‘the objective of sustaining heritage values’ (Conservation Policies, Principles and Guidance, 2015). Conservation aims to protect and enhance heritage assets and includes a philosophical, social, practical and technical approach. It requires multidisciplinary collaboration in decision-making and implementation. The aim of the RIBA Conservation Guide is to assist conservation professionals who have the responsibility to implement conservation through managing change, protecting and enhancing heritage assets. As Jane Price states in the foreword, the book aims to ‘inspire and inform’.

The method adopted by the authors is to educate, using as reference the international guidance and national legislative framework that underpins conservation in practice. The chapters are designed to provide an overview of the education and training guidelines of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the Unesco charters and conventions, the UK National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), and their implementation in conservation. The book takes a 21st-century perspective, drawing attention to the emerging interest in climate change and retrofit. Its limited size prevents it from being a comprehensive guide on all aspects of conservation, but it is useful for conservation accreditation in any discipline, and complements previously published books, including Bernard Feilden’s Conservation of Historic Buildings.

The authors, who are all educators on the RIBA conservation course, are experienced conservation professionals from diverse disciplines. Indeed, the publication reflects the RIBA course that supports architects in their preparation for conservation accreditation. Each author provides their own perspectives, experiences and interpretation of the ICOMOS guidelines within a UK context, enriched with case studies. The well-illustrated publication has a consistently clear and accurate narrative.

Marion Barter, a heritage consultant, introduces the understanding of heritage significance, history and identity, setting and context, and the need for documenting the conservation works and making these accessible to a wider audience using digital technologies.

Andrew Shepherd, a lecturer and architect, delves into the diagnostic analysis of defects, buildings’ structural integrity and fabric’s performance. He emphasises the practicalities of repair and ‘maintenance plans’ that prevent further damage and reduce cost.

David McDonald, a conservation consultant and IHBC chair, explains the importance of the ‘strategic documents’ (condition survey, conservation and management plan, statement of significance, schedule of works) in ‘making balanced judgements’ and taking informed decisions. He acknowledges the significance of ‘constructive collaboration’ of multi-disciplinary professionals: experts in conservation.

Anna Joynt, an accredited conservation architect, shares her experiences on climate-change mitigation, exploring ‘repair and retrofit’ scenarios, providing evidence, and guidance that focuses on the user’s comfort and traditional methods.

The RIBA Conservation Guide will benefit architects and other professionals from related disciplines who are preparing for conservation accreditation. It is intended for postgraduate conservation courses and is suitable for undergraduate courses in architecture and other disciplines that include conservation theory and practice in their curriculum.