Available in French and English
The RAIC, in partnership with Parks Canada Agency, is offering a new online course on Heritage Conservation in Canada. The course offers exclusive lessons on the principles of the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada by using built heritage sites managed by Parks Canada as learning tools.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Recognize heritage values and the character-defining elements of historic places
- Explain the Conservation Decision Making Process
- Locate relevant resources for information on heritage value and designations.
- Distinguish between the conservation treatments of preservation, restoration, rehabilitation
- Interpret which Standards and Guidelines apply to a given conservation project
Project Description:
This contribution supports the development and implementation of an online course regarding the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada intended as an informational training tool for use by Royal Architectural Institute of Canada members, as well as other interested parties from across the public and private sectors, in Canada’s heritage community and the design and construction industry.
Background:
In 2003, Parks Canada led the development of the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative intended to create what was supposed to be the nation’s first-ever pan-Canadian reference document on best practices in heritage conservation.
After its original issue, the Standards and Guidelines were adopted by many federal, provincial, territorial and municipal jurisdictions, as ‘best in class’ guidance for management of Canadian conservation projects and sites. Since then, there has been a sustained and increasing interest in the document.
In 2010, Parks Canada led a federal-provincial-territorial collaboration to update the Standards and Guidelines, resulting in Edition 2.
In 2017, the RAIC surveyed its membership, seeking to understand the areas of professional architectural practice for which members wanted more educational tools and training opportunities. Further training opportunities in the field of heritage conservation and adaptive reuse were amongst the most requested topics.
At that point, the RAIC contacted Parks Canada, and discussions started with regards to a collaboration to expand awareness, understanding, and use of the Standards and Guidelines.