Themes and Topics

21st IIWC Symposium – New Horizons, York 2018

The IIWC Scientific Symposium will be open to both ICOMOS members and non-members and its theme is “New Horizons for the Conservation of Wooden Built Heritage”.

The IIWC’s 2018 “New Horizons” symposium in York will be an interchange for new research and technical advancements in the conservation of wooden built heritage. “New Horizons” will be a forum to engage a diverse community of experts, professionals and practitioners with the common goal of exploring new multi-disciplinary perspectives and potentialities in the field of conservation. This holistic approach to conservation is at the heart of ICOMOS and its scientific committees and is embodied in the new IIWC 2017 ‘Principles for the Conservation of the Wooden Built Heritage’.

Themes and topics:

  • Education and training
  • Intangible heritage
  • Evolving buildings
  • Temporary structures
  • Conservation statements for repair/ intervention projects
  • The crucial role that forest reserves play in cycles of maintenance and repair
  • Advances in laser technology and geospatial imaging
  • Structure-from-motion 3D photogrammetry
  • Advances in non-invasive investigation technologies, tomography, digital micro-probes
  • Project procurement and funding streams
  • Can traditional crafts such as carpentry compete economically with modern construction techniques
  • Waterlogged wood: recording, excavation, conservation, presentation and curation
  • Shipwrecks/ maritime heritage
  • Archaeological evaluations including: desk-based studies, impact assessments, interpretive surveys
  • Watching briefs for construction projects on standing buildings
  • Archaeobotany and ancient forestry ecologies
  • Advances in resin repairs
  • Durability of timber
  • 20th century buildings
  • The effects of flooding on historic timber
  • Problems caused by the insurance-led timber preservation industry
  • Conservation of timber with surface finishes such as plaster, paint, wall-paper, other coatings
  • New technologies, new problems? Frei Otto’s Mannheim Multihalle gridshell is 42 years old