- Email: [email protected]
Conservation: COTAC: A network for training and education in architectural conservation
Museum
Management
and Curatorship (1994), 13, 313-326
Professional Notes Conservation: COTAC: A Network for Training and Education in Architectural Conservation Overview
COTAC, the Conference on Training in Architectural Conservation, was formed 30 years ago to initiate better education for architects who wished to work on the repair and conservation of historic buildings, including those housing museum collections. Subsequently, COTAC has developed so that it is today composed of representatives from the main conservation bodies, the relevant professions, the construction industry, government agencies and education institutions in the United Kingdom. While for many years it focused mainly on the needs of the conservation community, acting as a link between practitioners and those running specialist courses at post-graduate levels, it has now expanded its role and, with support from national and European institutions, has been able to respond to the increased interest and demand for conservation skills at all levels. The purpose of this note is to outline COTAC’s current philosophy and operational strategy and to set out its plans for the future, both as a factor in the development of the United Kingdom construction industry and as a vehicle for international co-operation in integrated conservation (a summary is given in the Appendix).
Prince of Wales, fairly reflected society’s disillusionment with post-war architecture and with the performance of the construction industry. This, plus a marked decline in the demand for new building, persuaded the National Contractors Group of the United Kingdom Building Employers Confederation to call for a general re-appraisal of the industry at large. In their 2001 Report they recognized a whole range of threats to the industry and called for a new vision for the future in order to attract talent. They recognized the attraction of relating the best traditions of past building to the challenges of the future. Many of these themes have been reiterated in the recent W S Atkins report on Europe’s construction sector. Only now has this philosophy been properly developed to the point where skills and sensitivities traditionally associated with building conservation are recognized as being relevant to all sectors of the construction industry and at all levels. Sensitivity to our built heritage has become relevant not just for our national monuments, but also to the maintenance of the existing infrastructure and building stock (now more than 40 percent of the United Kingdom industry’s total output) as well as providing the context for higher quality new construction. Conservation and rehabilitation is today a relevant factor in all town planning strategies, alongside economic development, environmental control and sustainable tourism, and it is a significant force for the generation of employment.
The Community, the Construction Industry and Employment
The well-known campaign in the United Kingdom in the late I%Os, led by the 0260-4779/94/03
0313-14
Training
standards
One of COTAC’s responses to increase in the demand for training
0 1994 Butterworth-Heinemann
Ltd.
the has
Professional Notes
314
been to work towards a generally agreed framework for standards and qualifications in architectural conservation. For this we have drawn upon the ICOMOS Training G&d&es, now internationally recognized. With the support of the 30 national organizations that are the members of the COTAC Conference, we are identifying the conservation skills required of both generalists and specialists from 15 distinct disciplines within the construction industry. We are working with the industry’s two lead bodies, the Construction Industry Standing Conference (CISC) and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) on the definition of conservation qualifications required at all levels within the full range of professional, managerial and craft disciplines. COTAC provides the chairman for a liaison committee
between these and the other bodies responsible for standards on environmental and object conservation. Currently on trial as a result of COTAC’s work is a new set of qualifications for all craft disciplines at the master level. This operates within the internationally recognized framework administered in the United Kingdom by the City and Guilds Institute. The relationship between this and other qualifications in this field is illustrated in Figure 1.
Our other main initiative in the United Kingdom has been to develop, with start up funding from the Department of National Heritage, a network of regional centres. The underlying princi-
A CONSERVATION I
1
RESTORATION
-
I
(CPD = Continuing APL = Accredited
Professional Ikvelopment Prior Learning)
1 VOCATIONAL
1. The relationship between COTAC’s new set of qualifications master level, and other qualifications in the field.
1
for all craft disciplines at the
Profession !a1 Notes
ple to this is that effective links between the community, the construction industry and the education and training centres can only be established at the local level. In particular we are attempting to identify the needs of small and medium sized firms who, traditionally, have sustained the craft skills relating to each region. COTAC’s
315
regional centres are made up of representatives of all these interests. All are committed to developing and working within the nationally agreed standards. Some centres cater only for local needs such as training for craftsmen in small and medium sized enterprises, while others provide education and training for a regional, national or international
THE COTAC NETWORK (International)
r-----THE COTAC NETWORK
l
(Regional
(National)
and local)
-
I
1 ICCROM 1 CONFERENCE
COUNCIL
OF EUROPE
NETWORK CENTRES (Employers Local Authorities Training and Education Centres Amenity Societies
t
COTAC OUTPUTS STANDARD ICOMOS Guidelines European Charters PROVISION OF TRAINING and EDUCATION * International Courses * International Exchanges
RESEARCH * International Co-operation
National Standards (individuals and firms)
National Courses (graduate, post graduate) Student Funding
Regional/Local Courses (Graduate, Post Graduate Mastercraft)
National Themes eg Tourism Town Planning Science
Regional/local themes eg materials building types
INFORMATION/ADVICE International data exchange
National
European agreements on mutual recognition of qualifications
Nationally accredited firms and individuals
Local lists of firms and individual specialists
Council of Europe comparative information on legislation, training and training centres
Information on Training Centres courses and placement
Information on local courses/live training sites and job placement opportunities
Journal on Architectural Conservation
Advice
Newsletter
to owners
2. The relationships and outputs of the COTAC network, ranging from local links through craft centres to national and international links through member organizations and such organizations as ICCROM and ICOMOS.
316
Professional Notes
audience. Local links are created between practical craft colleges and universities, and nearly all centres are involved in research and development work and in practical conservation projects. At the national level, the COTAC Network organizes regular newsletters and seminars. Its annual conference invariably takes account of international links and, in 1995, it is proposed that the COTAC Conference should be set up as part of the United Kingdom national construction exhibition Znterbuild, with integrated conservation as a common theme. The relationships and outputs of the COTAC network are defined in Figure 2.
The International
Dimension
Both within our member organizations at the national level and with our Network Partners, there has been a significant increase of interest in establishing international links. As such, COTAC has been active, as United Kingdom representative or as consultants, in work with the European Union and the Council of Europe on the appraisal of standards and in fostering exchanges through a variety of EU programmes. We also have strong links with the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in Rome where currently we provide the chairperson for the Academic Advisory Board.
With the Council of Europe and through a range of European Commission sponsored initiatives, we are actively involved in developing the concept of a Europe-wide network, hopefully to be underpinned by a European Foundation for the conservation of the man-made heritage. We are also working to improve the transparency of conservation skills and to establish the ground rules for mutual recognition of all the disciplines involved in architectural conservation, Arising out of the European Commission’s study mandate M 0009, we look forward to the development of prequalification standards which should, in the long term, be a powerful force for improvement both in contractors and consultants firms throughout Europe. It has been through our international links that we have realized the value of the COTAC working methods. While we are fully aware of the need to maintain regional traditions and recognize national cultures, it is apparent that our experience in terms of organization could be relevant to others as a model for adaptation and further development. We are involved in discussions on how our methods of working towards improved training can be adapted to suit other countries’ needs in the context of their legislative and regulatory systems. We are very keen to explore such ideas with international agencies, in parallel with current trends and partnerships with other countries which are now developing. RICHARD DAVIES
Professional
317
Notes
Appendix The Role of COTAC The Conference on Training in Architectural Conservation (COTAC) was formed 30 years ago to initiate better education for architects who wished to work on the repair and conservation of historic buildings. It is now composed of representatives from the main conservation bodies, the relevant professions, the construction industry, government agencies and educational institutions. As it has evolved, COTAC, now a charity, works for the education and training of all the disciplines and crafts concerned with building conservation: architects, surveyors, engineers, conservation officers, construction managers and skilled craftsmen and women. The Conference recognizes that conservation is a theme that involves society at all levels as well as being a positive force for unity within the construction industry. It aims: To encourage a general appreciation of the benefits of skilled conservation amongst all sections of the building industry and in the community. To identify and encourage the development of specialist training courses in conservation skills at the professional, technical and craft levels. To foster links between centres involved in both formal training and practical conservation in the UK and abroad. To assist in developing appropriate methods for monitoring training standards and . speciahst qualifications. To encourage funding for the development of courses and other training methods and to support students in the study of architectural conservation and the associated craft skills. COTAC participates, as a member or agent, in the work of CISC (the Construction Industry Standing Conference), the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), the Council of European Heritage and Crafts and Training Reform Committees, the European Commission’s Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and the Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM).
Conference
Members
Ancient Monuments Society Architectural Association Association for the Conservation of Historic Buildings Association of Conservation Officers Building Conservation Trust Building Employers Confederation Building Research Establishment CADW-Welsh Historic Monuments City & Guilds of London Institute Council for the Care of Churches and Cathedrals Advisory Committee Department of the Environment Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association English Heritage The Georgian Group Heritage Building Contractors Group Historic Churches Preservation Trust Historic Royal Palaces Agency Historic Scotland International Council on Monuments and Sites Institute of Advanced Architectural Studies, York Institute of Clerks of Works The Landscape Institute The National Trust Redundant Churches Fund Royal Institute of British Architects Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Royal Town Planning Institute Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings Society of Antiquaries Victorian Society
Your Point of Contact Conference on Training in Architectural Conservation Keysign House, 429 Oxford Street, London WlR 2HD Fax: 071 973 3656 Tel: 071 973 3615 COTAC is a registered charity
I
Management
and Curatorship (1994), 13, 313-326
Professional Notes Conservation: COTAC: A Network for Training and Education in Architectural Conservation Overview
COTAC, the Conference on Training in Architectural Conservation, was formed 30 years ago to initiate better education for architects who wished to work on the repair and conservation of historic buildings, including those housing museum collections. Subsequently, COTAC has developed so that it is today composed of representatives from the main conservation bodies, the relevant professions, the construction industry, government agencies and education institutions in the United Kingdom. While for many years it focused mainly on the needs of the conservation community, acting as a link between practitioners and those running specialist courses at post-graduate levels, it has now expanded its role and, with support from national and European institutions, has been able to respond to the increased interest and demand for conservation skills at all levels. The purpose of this note is to outline COTAC’s current philosophy and operational strategy and to set out its plans for the future, both as a factor in the development of the United Kingdom construction industry and as a vehicle for international co-operation in integrated conservation (a summary is given in the Appendix).
Prince of Wales, fairly reflected society’s disillusionment with post-war architecture and with the performance of the construction industry. This, plus a marked decline in the demand for new building, persuaded the National Contractors Group of the United Kingdom Building Employers Confederation to call for a general re-appraisal of the industry at large. In their 2001 Report they recognized a whole range of threats to the industry and called for a new vision for the future in order to attract talent. They recognized the attraction of relating the best traditions of past building to the challenges of the future. Many of these themes have been reiterated in the recent W S Atkins report on Europe’s construction sector. Only now has this philosophy been properly developed to the point where skills and sensitivities traditionally associated with building conservation are recognized as being relevant to all sectors of the construction industry and at all levels. Sensitivity to our built heritage has become relevant not just for our national monuments, but also to the maintenance of the existing infrastructure and building stock (now more than 40 percent of the United Kingdom industry’s total output) as well as providing the context for higher quality new construction. Conservation and rehabilitation is today a relevant factor in all town planning strategies, alongside economic development, environmental control and sustainable tourism, and it is a significant force for the generation of employment.
The Community, the Construction Industry and Employment
The well-known campaign in the United Kingdom in the late I%Os, led by the 0260-4779/94/03
0313-14
Training
standards
One of COTAC’s responses to increase in the demand for training
0 1994 Butterworth-Heinemann
Ltd.
the has
Professional Notes
314
been to work towards a generally agreed framework for standards and qualifications in architectural conservation. For this we have drawn upon the ICOMOS Training G&d&es, now internationally recognized. With the support of the 30 national organizations that are the members of the COTAC Conference, we are identifying the conservation skills required of both generalists and specialists from 15 distinct disciplines within the construction industry. We are working with the industry’s two lead bodies, the Construction Industry Standing Conference (CISC) and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) on the definition of conservation qualifications required at all levels within the full range of professional, managerial and craft disciplines. COTAC provides the chairman for a liaison committee
between these and the other bodies responsible for standards on environmental and object conservation. Currently on trial as a result of COTAC’s work is a new set of qualifications for all craft disciplines at the master level. This operates within the internationally recognized framework administered in the United Kingdom by the City and Guilds Institute. The relationship between this and other qualifications in this field is illustrated in Figure 1.
Our other main initiative in the United Kingdom has been to develop, with start up funding from the Department of National Heritage, a network of regional centres. The underlying princi-
A CONSERVATION I
1
RESTORATION
-
I
(CPD = Continuing APL = Accredited
Professional Ikvelopment Prior Learning)
1 VOCATIONAL
1. The relationship between COTAC’s new set of qualifications master level, and other qualifications in the field.
1
for all craft disciplines at the
Profession !a1 Notes
ple to this is that effective links between the community, the construction industry and the education and training centres can only be established at the local level. In particular we are attempting to identify the needs of small and medium sized firms who, traditionally, have sustained the craft skills relating to each region. COTAC’s
315
regional centres are made up of representatives of all these interests. All are committed to developing and working within the nationally agreed standards. Some centres cater only for local needs such as training for craftsmen in small and medium sized enterprises, while others provide education and training for a regional, national or international
THE COTAC NETWORK (International)
r-----THE COTAC NETWORK
l
(Regional
(National)
and local)
-
I
1 ICCROM 1 CONFERENCE
COUNCIL
OF EUROPE
NETWORK CENTRES (Employers Local Authorities Training and Education Centres Amenity Societies
t
COTAC OUTPUTS STANDARD ICOMOS Guidelines European Charters PROVISION OF TRAINING and EDUCATION * International Courses * International Exchanges
RESEARCH * International Co-operation
National Standards (individuals and firms)
National Courses (graduate, post graduate) Student Funding
Regional/Local Courses (Graduate, Post Graduate Mastercraft)
National Themes eg Tourism Town Planning Science
Regional/local themes eg materials building types
INFORMATION/ADVICE International data exchange
National
European agreements on mutual recognition of qualifications
Nationally accredited firms and individuals
Local lists of firms and individual specialists
Council of Europe comparative information on legislation, training and training centres
Information on Training Centres courses and placement
Information on local courses/live training sites and job placement opportunities
Journal on Architectural Conservation
Advice
Newsletter
to owners
2. The relationships and outputs of the COTAC network, ranging from local links through craft centres to national and international links through member organizations and such organizations as ICCROM and ICOMOS.
316
Professional Notes
audience. Local links are created between practical craft colleges and universities, and nearly all centres are involved in research and development work and in practical conservation projects. At the national level, the COTAC Network organizes regular newsletters and seminars. Its annual conference invariably takes account of international links and, in 1995, it is proposed that the COTAC Conference should be set up as part of the United Kingdom national construction exhibition Znterbuild, with integrated conservation as a common theme. The relationships and outputs of the COTAC network are defined in Figure 2.
The International
Dimension
Both within our member organizations at the national level and with our Network Partners, there has been a significant increase of interest in establishing international links. As such, COTAC has been active, as United Kingdom representative or as consultants, in work with the European Union and the Council of Europe on the appraisal of standards and in fostering exchanges through a variety of EU programmes. We also have strong links with the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in Rome where currently we provide the chairperson for the Academic Advisory Board.
With the Council of Europe and through a range of European Commission sponsored initiatives, we are actively involved in developing the concept of a Europe-wide network, hopefully to be underpinned by a European Foundation for the conservation of the man-made heritage. We are also working to improve the transparency of conservation skills and to establish the ground rules for mutual recognition of all the disciplines involved in architectural conservation, Arising out of the European Commission’s study mandate M 0009, we look forward to the development of prequalification standards which should, in the long term, be a powerful force for improvement both in contractors and consultants firms throughout Europe. It has been through our international links that we have realized the value of the COTAC working methods. While we are fully aware of the need to maintain regional traditions and recognize national cultures, it is apparent that our experience in terms of organization could be relevant to others as a model for adaptation and further development. We are involved in discussions on how our methods of working towards improved training can be adapted to suit other countries’ needs in the context of their legislative and regulatory systems. We are very keen to explore such ideas with international agencies, in parallel with current trends and partnerships with other countries which are now developing. RICHARD DAVIES
Professional
317
Notes
Appendix The Role of COTAC The Conference on Training in Architectural Conservation (COTAC) was formed 30 years ago to initiate better education for architects who wished to work on the repair and conservation of historic buildings. It is now composed of representatives from the main conservation bodies, the relevant professions, the construction industry, government agencies and educational institutions. As it has evolved, COTAC, now a charity, works for the education and training of all the disciplines and crafts concerned with building conservation: architects, surveyors, engineers, conservation officers, construction managers and skilled craftsmen and women. The Conference recognizes that conservation is a theme that involves society at all levels as well as being a positive force for unity within the construction industry. It aims: To encourage a general appreciation of the benefits of skilled conservation amongst all sections of the building industry and in the community. To identify and encourage the development of specialist training courses in conservation skills at the professional, technical and craft levels. To foster links between centres involved in both formal training and practical conservation in the UK and abroad. To assist in developing appropriate methods for monitoring training standards and . speciahst qualifications. To encourage funding for the development of courses and other training methods and to support students in the study of architectural conservation and the associated craft skills. COTAC participates, as a member or agent, in the work of CISC (the Construction Industry Standing Conference), the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), the Council of European Heritage and Crafts and Training Reform Committees, the European Commission’s Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and the Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM).
Conference
Members
Ancient Monuments Society Architectural Association Association for the Conservation of Historic Buildings Association of Conservation Officers Building Conservation Trust Building Employers Confederation Building Research Establishment CADW-Welsh Historic Monuments City & Guilds of London Institute Council for the Care of Churches and Cathedrals Advisory Committee Department of the Environment Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association English Heritage The Georgian Group Heritage Building Contractors Group Historic Churches Preservation Trust Historic Royal Palaces Agency Historic Scotland International Council on Monuments and Sites Institute of Advanced Architectural Studies, York Institute of Clerks of Works The Landscape Institute The National Trust Redundant Churches Fund Royal Institute of British Architects Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Royal Town Planning Institute Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings Society of Antiquaries Victorian Society
Your Point of Contact Conference on Training in Architectural Conservation Keysign House, 429 Oxford Street, London WlR 2HD Fax: 071 973 3656 Tel: 071 973 3615 COTAC is a registered charity
I