The aim of the conference is to consider the threat to the UK’s unique heritage from fire and other such incidents and is a must attend for anyone who is involved with Fire Protection or the restoration and preservation of heritage buildings.

The conference will involve key players from across the cultural and heritage sectors as well as representatives from the world of fire engineering, architecture, tourism and planning.

For more information and to book please contact Mandy Eeles on 07919 175310 or Richard Daly on 01606 868290.   

Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service
The Institution of Fire Engineers

The Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA), AIA NY Chapter, is pleased to announce its fourth biennial international ideas competition, High Bridge: Bronx, Building Cultural Infrastructure (HB:BX). This competition is open to all emerging professionals, including, but not limited to, architects, artists, engineers, landscape architects, urban designers, and planners who have completed their education at the undergraduate or graduate level within 10 years of the competition announcement (September 10, 2009).

Registration Begins: Sept 10, 2009
Registration Ends: Nov 18, 2009
Submission Deadline: January 18, 2010 (postmarked)
Open to: Emerging Designers
Entry Fee: $35 Student, $65 Individual, $110 Team (2-4), $300 Group(5+)
Awards: $5,000 (ENYA prize), $2,000 (2nd Place), $1,000 (3rd Place), $1,000 (Student)

HB:BX is an open ideas competition to design an arts center that culturally reinforces the physical connection between the Manhattan and Bronx High Bridge communities of New York City. Working in cooperation with the arts organizations Artists Unite and the Bronx Museum of the Arts, ENYA means to draw awareness to the current efforts to restore and reopen the historic High Bridge. This competition is a forum to explore the urban and community improvement opportunities that may come with the achievement of such a momentous milestone. Thus, ENYA challenges designers to explore how disused structures can be reprogrammed into elements of a vibrant urban cultural center. Entrants are also challenged to rethink the relationship between existing infrastructure (aqueduct, railway, highway) and the contemporary urban context. These issues, universally relevant to any growing city, take on a more site-specific nature when considering the importance of the High Bridge and the topographic challenges posed by the steep riverbanks of the Harlem River. Also defining this competition are the unique clients who ask entrants to reconsider architecture’s role in the creation, display, and experience of viewing art in one of the world’s most culturally vibrant cities.

General information about HB:BX follows:
Type: International Ideas Competition. The competition results are intended to generate ideas for the site and will not result in actual development by ENYA or other parties involved.

About ENYA, AIA New York Chapter
ENYA (Emerging New York Architects) is a forum for the interests and activities of students, interns, associates, and new architects. The committee, which is part of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, establishes networking, mentoring, technical, and public advocacy initiatives to foster the professional development of architecture students and young professionals and to strengthen the quality of the built environment.

About the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter
Founded in 1857 by seven visionary architects, the AIA New York Chapter is the first and largest chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Today, the AIA New York Chapter is a membership-based organization comprised of licensed architects and professional affiliates in real estate, construction, engineering, and facilities management, and currently has 4,300 members. Operating out of the Center for Architecture, a storefront space in Greenwich Village, the Chapter is dedicated to three Primary goals: public outreach, professional development, and design excellence.
The AIA New York Chapter is guided by the work of its dedicated committees. Over two-dozen committees, open to all interested, are continually exploring such vital issues as housing, planning, urban design, community development, historical preservation, and environmental sustainability. The AIA New York Chapter also serves as an advocate in public policy discussions with governmental decision-makers and other civic and professional associations.

More information

Contact: enyacompetitions@gmail.com

1 October 2009, The Geological Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London

St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney, photo: Emily Tracey

This meeting will address current issues of building and roofing stone in the UK and how to improve the use and availability of indigenous building stone today and for the future. It brings together those with a professional interest in the use of building stone from throughout the UK to address the key issues for heritage and new construction. The event is aimed at planners, architects, stone producers, heritage conservation professionals and all those with a professional interest in stone.

More information

Contact: Emily Tracey emiace@bgs.ac.uk or Tel: 0131 667 1000

3rd-5th July 2009

at St Fagans National History Museum (near Cardiff)
Part of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

The 2009 ICOMOS-UK Summer meeting and AGM took place at St Fagans National History Museum, south Wales, in collaboration with Eurwyn Wiliam, our Vice President for Wales, former Director of St Fagans, Deputy Director General of National Museum Wales and latterly Keeper Emeritus, National Museum Wales.

The ‘first generation’ open air museums were set up in Scandinavia at the end of the 19th century. Over the next 80 years many others followed in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Eastern Europe and North America.

Set up to highlight the value of regional buildings which contribute so much to our national identity at a time when many vernacular buildings were becoming vulnerable to destruction or radical change, they became the repositories of ‘unspoilt’ structures which could be read as social documents, particularly of rural life before the industrial era.

The meeting included visits to the museum’s buildings, a concert in its painted, mediaeval church and a seminar discussing the vision, extraordinary diversity and benefits of open-air museums in Europe.

Programme:

Friday 3rd July:

5.30 – 6.30 Drinks Reception at St Fagans

6.30 – 8.00 Informal Concert at recreated mediaeval church of
St. Teilo’s from Pontardulais, West Glamorgan

8.30 – 9.30 Supper at Iolo Morganwg restaurant, St Fagans

Saturday 4th July:

Seminar: Open-Air Museums and Society,
(Committee Room, St Fagans)

10.00 – 10.30 Coffee

10.30 – 10.40 Introduction and welcome

10.40 – 11.00 Dr Eurwyn Wiliam, Keeper Emeritus, National
Museum Wales: Open-air museums in Europe: a visionary idea

11.00 – 11.20 Gerallt Nash, Senior Curator, St Fagans National History Museum: Presenting recent history at St Fagans

11.20 – 12.00 Richard Suggett, Manager of the Emergency Building Recording Team, Royal Commission for Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales: Searching for the earliest houses in Wales

12.00 – 12.20 Dr Thomas Bloch Ravn, Director of Den Gamle By, Denmark’s National open air museum, Chair of the Association of Open-Air Museums: Open-air museums and society

12.20 – 12.45 Discussion

12.45 – 1.45 Sandwich Lunch Iolo Morganwg restaurant

1.45 – 4.15 Guided visit to St Fagans National History Museum

5.00 – 6.00 ICOMOS-UK AGM in the Committee Room (The Annual General Meeting is open to all members and their guests)

6.00 – 7.00 Optional Supper

Sunday 5th July:

Tour to the landscape of the Blaenavon World Heritage site

ICOMOS-UK visit to Blaenavon landscape

Download the flyer and booking form

For more information please contact:
Camilla Massara
Events Co-ordinator
ICOMOS-UK
Tel: 020 7566 0031
e-mail: camillamassara@icomos-uk.org

This event was organised in collaboration with Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

This groundbreaking two-day conference takes as its focus how our built heritage can address the challenge of climate change.

Leading experts will provide perspectives on how historic buildings can sensibly and realistically meet the challenge of global warming.
Delegates will have the opportunity to view an exhibition of cutting edge environmental products and services.

The conference is organised by the Chartered Institute of Building, National Trust, English Heritage and Somerset House, and will be held in the prestigious surroundings of the Embankment Galleries at Somerset House.

Preferential Rate for Partner organisations: CIOB members and employees of The National Trust, English Heritage and Somerset House.

View more information

Contact details:

Veronica Dunn
The Chartered Institute of Building
t: + 44 (0) 1344 630 798
e:  vdunn@ciob.org.uk

The Bath Chronicle reported that Dyson abandoned his plan after the Government’s rejection of a funding proposal and after facing a planning inquiry last August, which was called due to opposition from the Environment Agency.

The school had originally been due to open this autumn. Read full article on the Bath school plans.

This seminar will examine the history and materials associated with the architecture of Scotland’s retail buildings and will consider current issues facing their conservation and protection.

Speakers include some of the leading authorities involved in the conservation of shops and the topics are likely to appeal to planners, conservation officers, architects and surveyors as well as those involved in conservation-led regeneration projects.

For more information about the event please click here. To book a place at the event call Historic Scotland on 0131 668 8683

October 9-10 2008, Regent’s College London

With a Government commitment to build three million homes by 2020, the conference will stimulate debate on the importance of good quality landscape in housing developments and in creating sustainable communities.

Speakers include Professor Robert Tregay of LDA Design, architect and urban designer Terry Farrell, Director of CABE Space Sarah Gaventa, Chief Executive of The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust Karin Woodley, Director of External Affairs at the House Builders Federation John Slaughter, Senior Lecturer at Sheffield University Helen Woolley and Landscape Regeneration Manager at the Peabody Trust Group Matthew Frith. A mixture of plenary sessions, keynote speeches and seminars will bring together experts from across the built environment professions. A range of site visits to innovative housing schemes in London will also take place.

For a full programme along with details about the site visits and seminars, plus costs and booking forms, please visit www.liconferences.org or telephone 020 7299 4500.

The Landscape Institute is the professional body and regulator for landscape architecture. Under its Royal Charter the Landscape Institute is charged with protecting, conserving and enhancing the natural and built environment for the benefit of the public.

Landscape architecture is the profession best able to provide a holistic approach to creating places where people want to live and work both now and in the future. The Landscape Institute promotes landscape architecture as the environment and design profession, one that works with communities to create places that respect their environmental context and contribute to a high quality of life.

Contacts:

James Gosling, Media and Public Relations Officer

T: 020 7299 4528

E: jamesg@landscapeinstitute.org

Paul Lincoln, Director of Communications and Marketing

T: 020 7299 4500

E: paull@landscapeinstitute.org

Smithfield Market, London

In recent years the whole area around Smithfield Market has the centre of a revival as vigorous and lively as that of Covent Garden. At the public inquiry SAVE and English Heritage led the fight to save the market buildings. The campaign to save the General Market was launched by SAVE with the publication of Don’t butcher Smithfield in 2004.

Earlier, in the 1980s, SAVE led the successful campaign to prevent the demolition of Old Billingsgate Fish Market, also by Sir Horace Jones which is now a highly successful and popular events venue.

Adam Wilkinson SAVE’s former Secretary who led the SAVE case at the inquiry says ‘This is indication of SAVE’s long-held stance that the demolition of these handsome buildings is a nonsense and that they are well capable of economic re-use. They can contribute so much more to London than yet another office block.

The SAVE team exposed the some of the inaccuracies in the information used to justify the demolition proposals at the inquiry and we were staunch in our defence of these buildings. The City of London must now allow other development teams to come forward with proposals for the buildings, having previously stifled any attempts to find new uses for them’.

Marcus Binney President says ‘This is one of the biggest inquiries SAVE has ever fought, requiring an immense commitment in time and resources. The General Market Buildings have been scandalously neglected by the City Corporation. At the inquiry the City conceded that the market made a significant contribution to the conservation area. The market buildings should now be offered for sale. If they are they can very quickly become as lively, attractive and popular as Borough Market south of the River’.

David Cooper SAVE’s solicitor and lead advocate at the Inquiry says ‘The case put forward by SAVE was compelling in its clarity that none of the works for the railway were urgent enough to outweigh the obvious presumption of the positive contribution that these buildings made to the area. It was difficult to understand why Thornfield pursued their case supported by the City Corporation.’

For more information contact:

William Palin, Secretary at SAVE Britain’s Heritage

11th, 18th & 25th September 2008

The 20th century saw the construction of buildings unlike any that had come before. War, politics, economics, innovations in production and materials and social change all played their part in shaping modern Britain. The legacy is large and whilst appreciation of the very best of buildings and designs of the period is now widespread, professionals and decision makers often lack specialist knowledge in this field which has become vital for conservation professionals to understand.

The Twentieth Century Society, Britain’s specialist conservation group on buildings after 1914, presents this comprehensive and practical course over three full days. It will offer an historical and architectural analysis of England’s 20th century building typres along with pracitial insights into their repair and conservation.

Leading academics and practitioners in the field will present the course; the lectures will be complemented by guided tours of some of the best examples of 20th century buildings in London. The course aims to meet the needs of architects, conservation officers, surveyors and academics, who are seeking an effective route to better understanding of the period, but it will be of interest to property owners and anyone with enthusiasm for these buildings.

For more information and booking please contact the Twentieth Century Society.