Dublin
Civic
Trust

This stimulating webinar explores themes of sustainable building practice and energy efficiency in the context of built heritage preservation. Led by Peter Cox, FRSA, principal at Carrig Conservation, one of Ireland’s leading specialist building and heritage consultancies, the series of lectures provides a global scientific context to the challenges of climate change, sustainable resource management, international research and the application of these principles in the Irish context through a major building case study.

Since the recognition of our changing climate, the introduction of the SDGs (sustainable development goals) in 2015 and the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2016, there has been much movement in international research in the effects of Climate Change on the built environment. ICOMOS took this very seriously and developed a number of Works Groups, mainly the Climate Change & Heritage Work Group, The International Scientific Committee on Energy Sustainability & Climate Change (ISCES+CC) and the SDG Work Group. The climate change & heritage work group produced a landmark document titled “The Future of our Past”. This group also developed the highly successful Climate Heritage Network. Carrig has written the Climate Change Adaptation Sectoral Plan on Built & Archaeological Heritage for the Irish Government which is now part of our National Climate Action Plan.

Three lectures provide a current backdrop to Irish and international policies and how these must translate in the built heritage sector. A detailed case study showcases major renovation works recently overseen by Carrig Conservation in Trinity College Dublin in the refurbishment of one of the country’s oldest residential buildings, The Rubrics, dating to 1698-1702, with a major intervention in 1894. The brief from the client was to undertake a full conservation and energy retrofit and that would not only be best practice, but should also be an exemplar project.

Carrig were appointed both conservation and energy consultants to a full design team. Peter Cox takes attendees through the process, the findings, the decisions and the implementation to achieve a B2 energy rating.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

Peter Cox

Peter Cox FRSA, founding member of Carrig Conservation, has gained over thirty-five years’ experience of stone conservation in historic structures and all porous building materials. With a primary degree in chemical engineering and masters in material science, he is an authority on the analysis of masonry decay and on treating stone and mortar in historic structures. As an active member of ICOMOS, and as ICOMOS Ireland President from 2003-2006, Peter sits on a number of international committees, working with Governments to improve legislation and policies on conservation, and in particular on energy efficiency in heritage building stock.

He was President of ICOMOS’ International Scientific Committee on Energy, Sustainability & Climate Change (ISCES+CC), 2013 – 2020; is chair of ICOMOS Ireland’s National Scientific Committee on Energy, Sustainability & Climate Change (NSCES+CC) which published on the Effects of Climate Change on World Heritage Sites; and an active member of the Sustainable Traditional Building Alliance (STBA). Peter represented ICOMOS International on the CEN (Central European Standards Committee) Expert Technical Committee that produced European standard, EN 16883:2017 Conservation of Cultural Heritage – Guidelines for improving the energy performance of historic buildings.

Peter has authored ‘Retrofitting Heritage Buildings’ as part of RIBA’s Sustainable Building Conservation: Theory and Practice of Responsive Design in the Heritage Environment, published in 2015. As guest and visiting lecturer to universities nationally and throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States, Peter has completed lecture tours of China, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, South and North America lecturing on ‘Material Conservation of 20th Century Buildings; the ‘Energy Efficiency of Heritage & Traditional Buildings’ and on the effects of ‘Climate Change on our World Heritage Sites’.

Carrig Conservation

Carrig was established in 1994 as a specialist building and heritage consultancy, which employs a multi-disciplinary team of building and material experts, architects, engineers, materials’ scientists, chemists and geologists capable of handling all types of conservation projects.

Ireland has very significant commitments to the protection of heritage under Irish legislation and international conventions, such as the Venice and Burra Charters. This must be taken on board when devising integrated heritage and cultural management, climate change adaptation or mitigation measures, or setting priorities in terms of building protection and intervention.

Carrig offers independent professional services relating to the conservation of built heritage, fabric research and specification of treatments, governmental policy development on climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies for the historic built environment, and low carbon retrofit strategies for historic and traditional buildings. With a scientific ethos and background, it offers a service to architects, engineers, building owners, state parties, local authorities and NGOs.

www.carrig.ie