Calton Hill, Edinburgh

"ICOMOS members recognise that many conservation projects require an interdisciplinary approach, needing collaborative teamwork amongst professionals, technicians, administrators and craftspersons and communities".
ICOMOS Ethical Commitment Statement Madrid 2002

The purpose of this suite of units is to provide you, as a conservation practitioner seeking accreditation, with support and guidance that will help you develop your knowledge and thinking and lead to informed decisions about the content of your portfolio. This portfolio is used to demonstrate your experience, ability and understanding of conservation skills, for assessment as part of the accreditation process.

Individual practitioners seeking accreditation will already be fully qualified and experienced in their own professional disciplines. The skills essential to operate as a conservation practitioner are effectively a development of or additional to those of your professional discipline.

Thus the content of each unit is not specific to a professional discipline. On the other hand its purpose is to raise the profile of conservation as an approach in its own right.

• Table of contents Units 1 - 5
  Click on a unit to expand contents
• Unit 1 - Cultural Significance
  • 1.01 Preface
  • 1.02 Unit Overview
  • 1.03 Selected quotations
  • 1.04 Introduction and overview of cultural significance
  • 1.05 Components of significance
  • 1.06 International charters and society's response
  • 1.07 Conservation strategy
  • 1.08 Recording
  • 1.09 Self-assessment questions
  • 1.10 Provision of evidence
  • 1.11 In conclusion
  • 1.12 Reading lists
• Unit 2 - Aesthetic qualities and values
  • 2.01 Preface
  • 2.02 Unit overview
  • 2.03 Introduction
  • 2.04 Architectural/Aesthetic Analysis
  • 2.05 Area analysis
  • 2.06 Conservation strategy
  • 2.07 Degrees of intervention
  • 2.08 Determining appropriate levels of intervention
  • 2.9 In conclusion
  • 2.10 Reading lists
• Unit 3 - Investigation, materials and technology
  • 3.01 Preface
  • 3.02 Unit overview
  • 3.03 Introduction
  • 3.04 Investigation and survey
  • 3.05 Materials
  • 3.06 Construction
  • 3.07 Structure
  • 3.08 Conservation strategy
  • 3.09 Repair techniques
  • 3.10 Conclusion
  • 3.11 Reading lists
• Unit 4 - Social and financial issues
  • 4.01 Preface
  • 4.02 Unit overview
  • 4.03 Introduction
  • 4.04 Function use and ownership
  • 4.05 Property valuation
  • 4.06 Public attitudes
  • 4.07 External factors
  • 4.08 Conservation strategy
  • 4.09 Legislative controls
  • 4.10 Compatible re-users
  • 4.11 Identification and use of funding sources
  • 4.12 Identification and assessment of income sources
  • 4.13 Promotion, understanding and interpretation
  • 4.14 Provision of evidence
  • 4.15 Conclusion
  • 4.16 Reading list
• Unit 5 - Implementation and management of conservation works
  • 5.01 Preface
  • 5.02 Unit overview
  • 5.03 Conservation strategy
  • 5.04 Identification and selection of advisers and contractors
  • 5.05 Contracts and procurement
  • 5.06 Cost planning and cost control
  • 5.07 Management of works
  • 5.08 Maintenance plans
  • 5.09 Health and safety
  • 5.10 Management of tourism
  • 5.11 Monitoring and review
  • 5.12 Provision of evidence
  • 5.13 Conclusions
  • 5.14 Reading Lists
• Glossary
• Bibliography

The five units in this set, are not intended to be a course, but rather offer guidance to assist your own developmental improvement of knowledge. It will be a personal challenge intended to test your knowledge and, hopefully, point you in the direction of where to seek additional knowledge or, improve your understanding and reflect on your experience.

These CPD units offer a framework for you to develop; they are not intended to provide answers but merely stimulus and routes to comprehension, nor are they an easy route to accreditation! They are intended to challenge your understanding of the skills necessary to act as a conservation practitioner.

Self-assessment questions will make you question your understanding and knowledge. You should be willing to recognise that, despite your experience gained through practice, there is a more complicated, challenging and philosophical knowledge base that requires constant updating.

Following the route of the units will provide a personal challenge, requiring you to question your established values and perceptions.

It is not the aim of the units to provide definitive answers to the open question of the philosophy, ethics and principles of conservation thinking. In contrast, it aims to provide the spark to ignite your own investigative and reflective processes. After completing it you will be better able to assemble a portfolio of evidence in support of your application for accreditation.

“There is a need to impart knowledge of conservation attitudes and approaches to all those who may have a direct or indirect impact on cultural property.”
ICOMOS Guidelines for Education and Training.