Conservation of architectural heritage is the process of restoring, conserving and managing changes of a heritage in a manner that sustains and enhances its significance, when possible. Conserving and keeping the architectural elements means maintaining; hence, increasing the buildings’ values. Considering this, when restoration is possible it is favored to restore the buildings rather than replacing them.
Fundamentally, heritage represents the past history and culture of a nation, where the conservation of architectural heritage plays a vital role in defining the landmark within the area of heritage as well as generating economic return and supporting the tourism industry. It also provides a sense of identity and continuity in a fast changing world for future generations.
Preserving the architectural heritage provides concrete benefits to property owners, businesses owners and to the community as a whole because re-using existing fabric means requiring fewer materials from outside and more labor-intensive work by local trades. It also increases property value for both the restored buildings and surrounding properties. Additionally, conservation of the architectural heritage uses less than half of the energy used in the construction of new buildings whilst reducing the construction waste.
In this regard, IEREK organizes the 4th international conference on Conservation of Architectural Heritage (CAH), which will take held on a Nile cruise sailing from Aswan to Luxor, in order to discuss its influence on the characteristics of the environment and an area’s sense of place. It also seeks to increase awareness about the value of conserving the architectural heritage and saving what is left of history.
