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
COVID-19: Advice and Updates collated from the Heritage Sector
Organisations with conservation links have been collating resources on COVID-19 impacts, including Built Environment Forum Scotland (BEFS), Historic Environment Forum, The Heritage Alliance (THA), and Historic England, on cleaning surfaces.
Councils considering ‘executive powers’ as measures to avoid planning gridlock
Councils are reported to be considering taking up rarely-used executive powers to keep the planning and development system moving during the coronavirus pandemic.
Historic England provides updated flood recovery advice
Historic England's 'After a Flood' provides timely advice on how to dry walls properly and avoid further damage to the building fabric.
Conservation of Timber Buildings: an example of evolving conservation techniques
Context Issue 162 offers a peek into an archive of timber conservation history through the records of the practice of FWB and Mary Charles Chartered Architects.
Call for VAT rates for Refurbishment to be Reduced
To meet the government’s target of being carbon neutral by 2050, we must recycle, reuse and responsibly adapt our existing historic buildings, according to this year’s Heritage Counts report, so Historic England and partners are calling for a reduction in VAT rates to incentivise this more sustainable option.
Grade II Edwardian swimming baths in Birmingham restored
Donald Insall Associates, with the help of Historic England, has completed restoration work of Moseley Road Baths, being converted for use as an arts and culture venue.
IHBC Marsh Award Nominations – Closing Date 30 March
Celebrate your local ‘retired members’ and ‘successful learners’ with £500 cash prizes and 2020 Brighton School places!
Biodiversity Net Gain through UK Construction Projects
The Conservation Hierarchy is a new framework developed by the University of Oxford to help construction projects achieve Biodiversity Net Gain.
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.