ISSN: 1367-255X NUMBER 15 September 1999 nCOTACewsletter is supported by the Heritage Grant Fund, Department for Culture, Media and Sport CONTENTS Introduction . .1 News Airbags in Construction . 3 Cathodic Protection Register . 3 Roofing Quality Scheme . 4 EU Grants Advice . 4 INTRODUCTION Cement Mortars . 5 VAT Review . 5 Rates Valuation Bill Adopted . 6 IHBC Irish Branch . 6 Almost the end of August as I write, to Number 16. We continue with the Expert Witness . 7 autumn approaches and with it our updated format for this newsletter, as Refurbishment Costs . 7 International Conference in associa- Number 14 received several apprecia- Features Stowe Visit . 8 tion with the Building Research tive comments. A full index of past NVQ Update . 11 Establishment at their headquarters in issues is in preparation and will be Michael Stratton . 12 Garston near Watford. To be held on available shortly. Development of the Lambeth/South Bank Univ IT Centre . 13 Kings Cross Training Project . 14 Friday 5th November, the theme is Website continues and the latest News- BURA Urban Task Force . 16 ‘Profiting from Building Conservation’ letter is, and will from now on, be Lambeth College . 18 and aims to provide practitioners and available to read online or download. Architects’ Accreditation . 20 RICS Accreditation . 22 owners with tools for evaluating cost Our E-mail and Website addresses are CITB On-site Training . 22 effectiveness of conservation options. included at the bottom of this page. Professionalising Teaching . 25 There will be the opportunity for a Please note there was a slight error in Students as Consumers . 26 Business in Education . 27 conducted tour of the Establishment’s the address given for the Website in the Profit from the Web . 28 facilities followed by the Conference last issue as the “~” before “cotac” DETR Statistics . 30 Growing New Sculpture . 30 dinner in the evening. A study tour has was omitted, so please amend your Barn Conversions . 32 been arranged for Saturday 6th to St records accordingly. We have recently Letters Albans, the Abbey and other subjects updated our course list and the latest Tendering Times . 33 Publications of conservation interest in the historic edition is now available in paper form TANS 7, 8, 9, 10 . 33 centre and surrounding area. Linking and on our Website. Proceedings EH . 36 with this theme of cost It was a pleasure and Building Pathology . 36 Wessex Institute . 37 effectiveness, there is an a privilege to hold the RICS Library Publications . 38 interesting article on April meeting of the Exhibitions, Conferences, Seminars, Courses Page 7 in which a Standing Conference at COTAC Conference with BRE 1999 . 38 ‘Heritage Forum’ Exhibition & Conf. 38 Building Maintenance the National Trust site Geographical Information Systems . 38 Information (BMI) at Stowe. Our thanks Timber 2000 Conference . 39 study concludes that go to Richard Wheeler, Earth Building Conference . 39 Construction History Soc. Ann. Lecture . 40 refurbishment costs Senior Land Agent and National Monuments Record Courses . 40 average 2/3 of new his colleagues for mak- West Dean Courses . 41 build. ing the arrangements ICCROM Courses . 42 Woodchester Courses . 42 We were due to pub- and kind hospitality. SPAB Courses . 42 lish the second part of Following the formal Oxford University Courses . 43 Essex County Council Courses . 43 the transactions of the proceedings of the Georgian Group Courses . 43 1998 Swindon Con- morning conference, we Weald & Downland Courses . 44 ference in this issue but were treated to a splen- English Heritage Courses . 45 IHBC Courses . 45 due to lack of space this Equestrian statue of King George I did lunch and tour of COTAC Network Courses . 46 will be carried forward at Stowe. the temples and garden PORTLAND HOUSE, STAG PLACE, LONDON SW1E 5EE TEL: 0171 973 3615 FAX: 0171 973 3656 email: [email protected] website: http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~cotac/ PRESIDENT: Rt Hon Peter Brooke CH MP VICE-CHAIRMAN: Donald Insall OBE, FSA, RWA, FRIBA, FRTPI, SP Dip. (Hons.) DIRECTOR: Richard Davies Dip. Arch., (Hons.) RIBA HON. TREASURER: Stephen Bond MA, ARICS, Grad. Dip. Cons. AA © Copyright Conference on Training in Architectural Conservation (COTAC) Registered Charity No. 1036263 buildings, with an erudite and amusing explanation by Head of School on the latest situation at the College and Richard. He has kindly provided an article for the News- training opportunities available. The pedestrian bridge letter that captures much of the spirit of his commentary. between Lambeth College and South Bank University was It is very sad, following on from our first ever obituary reopened recently after nearly 30 years, to provide a phys- in the last issue for Zibby Garnett, that I have this time to ical link to their new partnership, which has resulted in a include another, for Michael Stratton who died earlier this Centre for Information Technology being created specifi- year. Michael was the COTAC Network representative for cally for the construction industry. Opened by CITB Archaeological Heritage Management, in the Department Chairman Hugh Try as part of National Construction of Archaeology (incorporating the Institute of Advanced Week, the new alliance has been described by some as a re- Architectural Studies), at the University of York. His col- enactment of the former Brixton School of Building. league Peter Burman provides a wonderfully eloquent trib- John Preston reports on progress with the new Register ute. Michael was part of the COTAC team for a relatively for Architects Accredited in Building Conservation assess- short time but his cheerfulness and enthusiasm immediate- ment for which relies heavily on the ICOMOS Training ly made him a popular colleague. We all concur with Guidelines. In parallel we note details of the RICS accredi- Peter’s comments and Michael will be greatly missed by all tation system for surveyors. who were privileged to know him. The Construction Industry Training Board reported ear- COTAC is undertaking a programme of architectural lier this year that despite reduced workload expectations, conservation and building crafts training for the King’s firms are still facing skills shortages in 1999. They note Cross Partnership in North London. Partners working with that there is a new emphasis on upgrading the existing COTAC are the Building Crafts College, Camden Training workforce abilities with on-site assessment and training. Centre and Lambeth College who between them are able to Further that the return to direct employment has meant a provide courses from foundation to advanced craft levels large shift in CITB levy rates and grants policy is being fun- across the spectrum of traditional building trades. The pro- damentally reviewed. gramme has three main aspects: initially community events We have a number of specialised reviews from academia to increase public awareness of the opportunities and including the importance of professionalising teaching by demand for high-level traditional building crafts skills. Professor Gummett. This explains the role of the new qual- This will be followed by practical workshops and “taster ity assessment organisations for Higher Education, the sessions”; and finally a series of formal training courses, Institute for Learning and Teaching (the ILT) and the starting from very basic, pre-vocational level, with the Quality Assurance Agency (the QAA), established follow- opportunity to progress to advanced crafts and beyond. ing the recommendations of the Dearing Report. Suffice it to say that an element of traditional craft and a Consumer Students – now that they are required to pay for respect for the history of buildings will be present in all Higher Education – may increasingly choose to exercise parts of the project. their ‘rights as consumers’ just as in any other market says I mentioned in the last issue our need for additional help Marianne Harris-Bridge, Director of Marketing at De and am delighted to confirm that since then we have gained Montfort University. Sheila McKechnie discusses the three new members of the team, all working part-time. Roy encouragement from Government for business to support Butlin, recently retired from BRE, has kindly agreed to innovation in education and the potential benefits and dan- assist John Taylor with the King’s Cross training project. gers of overt business involvement. This can range from Isabel Brooks who completed the Stone Masonry Diploma high-quality materials to blatant sales and marketing. at the Building Crafts College this summer is assisting Roy Many agree the former provides added value, whilst others and John with Kings Cross and providing general adminis- see any such involvement as an exploitation of young trative help in the office (including updating our database, people and the education system. Teachers and practition- course list and an index for past Newsletters). Isabel is also a ers agree that it is essential that these resources reach the qualified librarian so there is a good chance she might get all high quality, balance and integrity expected of all educa- our records in order. Last but not least Satish Kapadia who tional resources. As ever, the problem occurs in deciding with extensive accountancy experience in banking has agreed who defines what is meant by quality! to take over the financial management from Chris Crooke Computers and the Internet in particular form an ever- who is currently on a sabbatical tour in South America. increasing influence on our lives and Paul Foley reviews the Following on from the Urban Task Force report, BURA’s growing business opportunities offered by the “Web”. Both Chief Executive, David Fitzpatrick gives some views on the building conservation and education have much to gain importance of the creation of ‘a sense of place’ in urban from its effective usage. regeneration. In passing he mentions BURA’s involvement You may have read recently of the technique developed with English Heritage for the proposals to bring life back to grow synthetic diamonds in the laboratory that are to the Chatterley Whitfield mining complex, a site which almost indistinguishable from those occurring in nature.