Chairs of the IHBC and of COTAC – The Institute of Historic Building Conservation and the Council on Training in Architectural Conservation – signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in London on 21 February 2018, so together they can ‘help build capacity across the sector’.
With both organisations affirming their operational and ethical ties to the 1993 ICOMOS ‘Guidelines’ on conservation training, strategic commitments in the MoU include:
- Annual meeting of representatives
- Cross-publication of key articles
- Business planning strategy (IHBC)
- Online conservation training (COTAC)
- Mutually discounted rates for individual members
- Developing a viable ‘standard’ for Building Information Modelling (BIM) for conservation practice.
James Caird, IHBC Chair, and Ingval Maxwell OBE, COTAC Chair, issued a joint statement saying: ‘We are delighted that our complementary organisations have agreed this Memorandum of Understanding, and help build conservation capacity across the sector, with all our sector partners.’
‘The MoU recognises that COTAC and IHBC are leading UK bodies supporting skills to secure built and historic environment conservation, while each also has its own client members and service priorities.’
‘By working together strategically, informed by the MoU, we can together continue to offer model practice in capacity-building and efficiencies.’
‘The importance of the task cannot be overstated. Sustainable development is the most important and challenging issues for the 21st century and the capacity of conservation techniques to contribute to the process is considerable.’
The MOU commitments reflect complementary organisational objectives:
- COTAC’s objectives include ‘to advance the education and training of all those involved in the protection and preservation of the historic environment that is of cultural, architectural or historical value, and to provide knowledge in support of training and education in the arts and skills required to protect and preserve it…
- IHBC objectives include the ‘promotion of the highest standard of professional skills and of the successful preservation and enhancement of the historic environment … insofar as it lies within the duties and responsibilities of any person whose principal skills, experience, training and employment is to provide specialist advice in the conservation of the historic environment…’
IHBC Director Seán O’Reilly said: ‘The Memorandum of Understanding is a core tool in the IHBC’s partnering strategy – helping us build on the more informal good intentions of our representatives and officers.’
‘It is great news that we have taken this next critical step in our programme of securing five or more MoUs as part of our AGM-approved Corporate Plan for 2020, though of course signing the MoU is only the start of a much bigger journey.’
IHBC and COTAC state in their MoU:
‘This Memorandum of Understanding (‘MoU’) sets out the basis for co-operation between the parties with a view to:
- working effectively to develop high quality skills, training and learning environments for conservation practitioners, vocational crafts, specialists and professionals
- promoting good practice in conservation
- influencing legislation and policy affecting the built and historic environment
- securing investment in and support for areas of common interests.’
For details on the operation of the MoU, which will include support for complementary membership benefits, please monitor our NewsBlogs.
See the IHBC’s CP20
See more on COTAC and COTAC’s HBIM papers
For the 1993 ICOMOS guidelines follow the link from the Toolbox
More on IHBC MOUs
