Sustainable Building Conservation (MSc)

The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) accredited course aims to be unique amongst schools in Britain.

Accredited by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC), this distinctive masters’ qualification addresses current challenges recognised worldwide.

We place emphasis on the role of sustainability within the historic context at both technical and strategic levels. By using our established expertise as a research locus for sustainable design, the course addresses these concerns, which have been identified internationally by the International Council on Monuments and Sites UK (ICOMOS), as the critical future direction of conservation education.

The course is offered on both a full time and a part time basis and attracts students from a broad range of backgrounds who benefit from the opportunity to exchange and build their expertise.

Who is the programme for?

It is designed for graduates who want to pursue a career in this area and whose first degree was in a related area such as Engineering, Planning, Architecture, Archaeology, Surveying or Construction. It is also open to people who may have equivalent experience in the construction industry or in heritage management.

Former students have come from backgrounds including Architecture, Planning, Surveying, Engineering, Project Management, Construction, History, Archaeology and Fine Art Conservation. Many are employed in Local Authorities or Private Practice; some run their own businesses as conservation contractors, project managers or architects. We also have students who are recent graduates. The diversity of skills and experience amongst the students is key to the vitality of discussion, reflecting the complex nature of practice in this area.

In summary, the course aims to:

• Broaden your career opportunities by enabling you to gain expertise in conservation leading towards professional accreditation.
• Augment your current expertise by developing skills to assert detailed and strategic responses to complex issues regarding building conservation in the context of a sustainable agenda.
• Ensure you possess the requisite knowledge but also to know where to refer for advice in order to take responsibility when making reasoned decisions in relation to multifaceted conservation issues.
• Enable you to use project-based case studies in order to develop a clear understanding of relevant legislative frameworks.
• Enable you to develop autonomous judgments of appropriateness regarding responses to the historic built environment.