Symposium 2000 - The Conservation of Heritage Interiors

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CCI Newsletter, No. 26, November 2000

Symposium 2000 - The Conservation of Heritage Interiors

by James Bourdeau, Program Chair, Symposium 2000

Photo: MCpl. Joanne Stoeckl, Rideau Hall

Symposium 2000 - The Conservation of Heritage Interiors was conceived as a forum to examine the process of preserving heritage interiors from the many different perspectives of a project team, which can often include conservators, architects, curators, planners, and heritage trades. The aim was to bridge the gap in professional cultures that frequently exists in the complex work of preserving heritage architecture.

Hosted by CCI in co-operation with the National Gallery of Canada, the Association for Preservation Technology International, and the Heritage Conservation Program of Real Property Services for Canadian Heritage and Environment Canada, the conference opened in Ottawa on May 17, 2000. For the next 3 days, 186 delegates representing numerous professions from 13 countries were treated to a wide variety of offerings from 34 presenters, including speakers, poster exhibitors, and demonstrators. In addition to the formal presentations, delegates had an opportunity to see some of the most interesting heritage buildings in Ottawa. Highlighting these tours was a visit to Rideau Hall (the official residence of the Governor General of Canada) and a reception hosted by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson.

The conference presenters had been chosen with the help of an external advisory committee to ensure the program would look at the preservation of heritage interiors from many different viewpoints. In the process, an attempt had been made to define the field of conservation in heritage interiors more clearly as an area of specialization, for both preservation architects and conservators. The program sessions followed the various phases of an architectural conservation project: the Conservation Assessment, Teams and Partners, Treatment Approaches, the Interior Environment, and the Post Mortem. The presentations all emphasized the importance of focussing on the entire project, and speakers readily discussed the successes and failures of this complex co-operative process.

What worked and what didn't on these projects? The conclusion on the part of many was that it is not enough for conservators to take the ethical high road — it is unrealistic to expect other team members to adhere to a poorly communicated ideal. Each of us who participates in these projects must learn some of the other members' language along with a good deal of their professional culture, so that we can all understand the limitations of the project and assess the risks of the intervention.

Some of the delegates to Symposium 2000 indicated that they would like to see subsequent CCI presentations devoted to specific topics in the area of built heritage. Suggested topics included conservation treatment processes, differences in ethical conservation approaches between North America and Europe, and protection of immovable interior elements from damage during seismic events. Interest was also expressed in project management, project costing and estimating, fire and safety issues for historic houses, conservation solutions for small historic houses, conservation of contemporary architectural materials, the impact of revenue generation on historic sites, and methods for becoming pro-active about the conservation of built heritage rather than waiting for damage and deterioration to occur (i.e. highlighting the importance of long-term maintenance of a building or object after the initial conservation project is finished).

As a result of these suggestions, CCI will be addressing issues in the conservation of built heritage in future education events. Learning modules on preventive maintenance in working heritage buildings are currently being developed as part of CCI's outreach programming.

In looking back, I hope that delegates gained a new understanding of the complexity of projects to preserve heritage interiors. Symposium 2000 demonstrated that we are becoming better at adapting and communicating our professional culture to others so that a conservation approach will become important to everyone with a stake in the preservation of built heritage.