ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Energy and Sustainability (ISCES)
The International Scientific Committee on Energy and Sustainability was established by ICOMOS in 2012 to further the conservation and protection of heritage places through the soundly-based application of energy conservation and sustainable development principles to heritage places.
National Scientific Committee on Energy and Sustainability
The Australia ICOMOS National Scientific Committee on Energy and Sustainability was formed in 2014 from the Energy and Sustainability Working Group, also to further the conservation and protection of heritage places through the soundly-based application of energy conservation and sustainable development principles to heritage places and expand the work of ISCES to with the involvement of Australia ICOMOS members.
ICOMOS Sustainable Development webpage
Read about ICOMOS’ collaboration with other organisations in the area of Sustainable Development.
“New life for historic cities: The historic urban landscape approach explained” UNESCO, 2013 [PDF size: 6.6MB]
This brochure introduces the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape – UNESCO’s holistic approach to managing historic urban landscapes by integrating the goals of urban heritage conservation and those of social and economic development. This method sees urban heritage as a social, cultural and economic asset for the development of cities.
State Guidelines – Energy Efficiency in Heritage Places
Click on the links below to access PDFs of these guidelines
- Renewable Energy Systems in State-Registered Place (WA State Heritage Office)
- Heritage Buildings and Sustainability (VIC Heritage Council)
- Heritage Buildings and Energy Efficiency Regulations (VIC Heritage Council)
- Solar Panel Guidelines – Colonel Light Gardens State Heritage Area (SA DEWNR)
- Building Services – Upgrades and Installation (QLD DEHP)
- Heritage & Solar Technology Guidelines (Hobart City Council)
- Solar energy installations on heritage buildings (Mount Alexander Shire Council)
Old Star, Green Star_Architecture Bulletin_Sept-Oct 2009 [PDF size: 188KB]
The greenest buildings are actually well-managed existing buildings, argues Craig Roussac in this article.
Sustainable heritage_Architecture Bulletin, March-April 2011 [PDF size: 4.2MB]
In this issue: Why adaptation and conservation is a sustainable long-term strategy.
Sustainability and heritage bibliography_MARCH 2015
This bibliography was put together by the Australian Working Group of ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Energy & Sustainability (ISCES).
Responsible Retrofit of Traditional Buildings, The Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance, 2012 [PDF size: 1.4MB]
This report looks into key aspects of the responsible retrofit of traditional buildings on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). This work was undertaken by the Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance (STBA) which represents most of the main historic building groups in the UK as well as mainstream construction-related organisations.
Sustainable Housing Guide – Harnessing Cooling Breezes, Planning Services Special Projects Unit, City of Townsville [PDF size: 760KB]
This guide provides advice on harnessing breezes and creating air movement inside dwellings.
Energy Heritage – A guide to improving energy efficiency in traditional and historic homes, Changeworks Resources for Life, 2008 [PDF size: 4.1MB]
This comprehensive guide encourages and facilitates energy efficiency improvements in traditional and historic homes across the UK.
GREENING HISTORIC BUILDINGS: A study of Heritage Protection and Environmental Sustainability, ISS Institute December 2014, [PDF size: 1MB]
This report explores issues related to making historic buildings perform more sustainably – a concept popularly termed Greening Historic Buildings. The information presented is a culmination of research, interviews, site visits, workshops, conference papers and round table discussions in which the Fellow participated while in New York City as a participant of the 2013 Association for Preservation Technology International’s (APTi) conference on ‘Preserving the Metropolis’.
Window of opportunity: The environmental and economic benefits of specifying timber window frames, WWF, 2005, [PDF size: 2MB]
In 2005, WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature, formerly World Wildlife Fund) published the report ‘Window of Opportunity’, outlining the environmental and economic benefits of specifying timber window frames to help drive a better future for global forests, and could make the difference between losing them, or keeping them standing and benefitting both people and nature.
>> more information about this
Carbon in the Built Historic Environment – various resources from Historic England
Buildings and the construction industry are one of the largest carbon polluters in the UK today and there is consensus that we urgently need to tackle carbon emissions from buildings. Visit the Historic England website for more information to download the following reports:
- Heritage Counts 2019 – There’s No Place Like Old Homes: Re-Use and Recycle to Reduce Carbon
- Understanding Carbon in the Historic Environment
- Valuing carbon in pre-1919 residential buildings