The Institute of Historic Building Conservation
The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) is the professional body for building conservation practitioners and historic environment experts working in the United Kingdom, with connections to the Republic of Ireland.
The Institute exists to establish, develop and maintain the highest standards of conservation practice, to support the effective protection and enhancement of the historic environment, and to promote heritage-led regeneration and access to the historic environment for all. There is a network of regional and national branches around the UK.
Historic places attract people, activity and investment, giving new life to their communities and helping make places more competitive. They play a central role in regenerating towns, cities and rural areas all around the UK, especially helping to repopulate inner-city areas.
Using internationally-recognised standards, IHBC assesses and regulates conservation practitioners. IHBC members come from a range of professional disciplines in the public, private and voluntary sectors, including conservation officers, planners, architects, regeneration practitioners and academics. The work of members varies from overseeing small-scale traditional repairs to managing multi-million pound area regeneration projects.
- Managing change: Helping historic places thrive by accommodating change and adapting for the future while providing continuity with the past.
- Heritage-led regeneration: Assisting tourism and promoting local economic diversity through developing the historic environment.
- Sustainable development: Preserving resources and minimising carbon emissions associated with demolition and redevelopment.
- Design: Appreciating that historic places are the inspiration for the great architecture of the future.
- Valuing heritage: Caring for historic buildings and places that have their own intrinsic cultural, social, educational and spiritual value.
The IHBC works to provide regular training, continuing professional development (CPD) and education events, as well as lobbying at international, national, regional and local levels.
Its publications include:
- Context: The official magazine of the IHBC, published bi-monthly.
- IHBC Yearbook: Published annually.
- Building Conservation Directory.
The IHBC also partners with, and assesses, various conservation courses across the UK to encourage training and professional development in the sector.
For more information, see the IHBC’s website.
Also see a list of articles by IHBC on Designing Buildings Wiki.
--Institute of Historic Building Conservation 15:56, 20 Jun 2016 (BST)
Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Archaeology and construction.
- Building preservation notice.
- Certificate of immunity.
- Conservation areas.
- Conservation of the historic environment.
- English Heritage
- Heritage partnership agreement.
- Historic England.
- Historic environment good practice advice.
- Historic Environment Service Provider Recognition.
- Historic environment.
- IHBC articles.
- Listed buildings.
- Planning Policy Statement 5 Planning for the Historic Environment
- Scheduled monuments.
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
- Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
- VAT - protected buildings.
IHBC NewsBlog
How Project Managers for Town Centre Developments can Balance Risk
Jacqueline Hughes, senior risk analyst at Equib, in pbctoday discusses how project managers for town centre developments can get their risk management strategies right.
Red Tape is Strangling our High Streets
A new paper from the Adam Smith Institute argues that the problem with the High Street has been totally misunderstood, saying that we need to reform restrictive planning rules and reject a policy of managed decline to reinvigorate our town centres.
Calculating the full cost of energy used by buildings
The Whole Life Cost of Energy (WLCoE) calculator – issued by government in BETA form – is intended to help building owners and operators to understand the full financial cost of the energy their buildings use, and welcomes feedback
England’s heritage worth £31Bn: New Historic England report
New research published by Historic England (HE) shows the value of heritage to England’s economy as it contributes to economic prosperity and growth through jobs in the heritage and construction sectors and from tourism.
Part of Roman wall in Chester Collapses
Investigations have begun into what caused part of Chester’s Roman city wall to collapse during construction work.
Audit on new housing in England: Design overwhelmingly ‘mediocre’ or ‘poor’
Though conservation professionals' skills in understanding, defining and explaining local character and architecture can help inform new residential design.
Historic England’s ‘21 Fascinating Places Listed in 2019’
Over 500 historic places have been added to the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) in 2019 and Historic England (HE) has showcased 21 highlights.
UK’s iconic first red public telephone box upgraded to GII*
The K2 prototype telephone box situated outside the Royal Academy in London – built as part of the 1924 competition that gave rise to the iconic design and first listed at Grade II in 1986 – has had its listing upgraded to Grade II*.
Historic England publishes guidance on BIM for Heritage
The second in a series focusses on developing the Asset Information Model (AIM).
High Streets Face a Bleak Future Without Rethinking Regeneration Strategies
Reflecting issues that will be encountered across the IHBC’s June 2020 Brighton School, think tank Centre for Cities argues for High Street success.
Take a look inside the first flat in the iconic Battersea Power Station
City A.M took a tour of the first apartment to be completed within the original grade II*-listed power station with designer Tim Boyd of Michaelis Boyd – which also designed the interiors for Soho House and the Groucho Club – and Battersea Power Station’s UK sales director Georgia Siri.
Retrofit scheme named World Building of the Year at WAF 2019
A conversion of a locomotive hangar into a public library is the first retrofit to win the top prize at the World Architecture Festival (WAF).