24-25 March 2009

Faculty of Engineering Raymond Lemaire International Center for ConservationKatholieke Universiteit Leuven

Inauguration Unesco Chair

On Preventive Conservation, Maintenance and Monitoring of Monuments and Sites

Anouk StulensDirector

Monumentenwacht Vlaanderen vzw

Conservation assessment of heritage places

The approach of Monumentenwacht in the Flemish Region

Context

1964 Charter of Venice

1973 Foundation of Stichting Monumentenwacht Nederland

1985 Convention of Granada (ratification in Belgium in 1992)

1991 Foundation of Monumentenwacht Vlaanderen vzw

1993 Flemish Region: Maintenance grant for listed monuments

1996 Provinces: Maintenance grant non listed buildings

Context

1999 Burra Charter

Maintenance is fundamental to conservation

2008 Conservation Principles English Heritage

The conservation of significant places is founded on appropriate routine management and maintenance.

Field of action

Group of 6 non for profit associations for owners, caretakers & custodians

- 5 provincial associations (front office)- 1 supportive umbrella association (back office)

Financed by

5 provinces: 2.100.000 euro/yearFlemish Region: 1.301.000 euro/yearmembers: subscription and inspection fees (10%)

Mission

Mission Raise awareness, inform and support

owners, caretakers and custodians

‘empowerment’

Instruments Regular and systematic condition assessment

monitoring

3100 voluntary members

5300 member buildings

Public reponse - membership

Annual subscription-fee per building: 40 € (VAT incl.)

Inspection-fee per hour per person : 26,18 € (VAT incl.)

Inspection-cost is 14% of real-cost

Membership

Structure

5 Provincial associations – front office

- Primary care

- Regular and systematic condition assessments

of heritage places

(historic buildings, interiors, maritime heritage, …)

- Direct approach

on site advice, exemplary interventions, guidance

Architectural survey

Interior Survey

Structure – back office

Monumentenwacht Vlaanderen

1 supporting association to the 5 provincial associations – back office

Tasks of general interest & subsidiary to the provincial goals

- Quality control & calibration, standards & manuals

- ICT

- Health & Safety

- Recruiting and training of staff

- Dissemination & promotion

- Professionalization & extension of services

- International contacts

Dissemination and sensitization

www.monumentenwacht.be

1. Publications- brochures- newsletter- Maintenance Manual for valuable Church interiors

2. Website

3. Lectures, workshops, …

1. Owners tend to follow-up recommendationsExample : Evolution of the state of the gutters in%

2. 400 new member buildings every year – continuous growth

3. 46% of maintenance grants of Flemish Region are based on status report

Impact

year # inspections good reasonable moderate bad not inspected

2001 458 36,6 25,8 21,9 12,9 2,7

2002 680 41,3 23,4 20,0 12,5 3,0

2003 781 41,6 22,4 21,8 11,7 2,4

2004 768 42,3 24,3 21,2 11,0 1,9

2005 788 44,4 21,1 20,5 10,8 3,3

2006 684 45,8 22,4 18,8 10,5 2,6

2007 683 46,5 24,2 17,7 9,4 2,3

2008 541 46,9 20,4 19,0 10,1 3,6

4. restoration budget / maintenance budget of Flemish government – gradual shift

Impact

Budget for restoration and maintenance grants Flemish region

1983-2007

6,33

5,33

3,68

3,3

2,82,6

2,42,7

2,4

1,7

1,31,00,9

0,7

1,0

58,185

39,671

43,243,0

49,0

42,4

50,0

45,3

38,9

35,535,936,434,435,635,3

24,024,9

17,418,4

14,615,112,6

11,1

14,316,1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

2007200520032001199919971995199319911989198719851983

year

milj

oen

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-m

aint

enan

ce

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

milj

oen

euro

-re

stor

atio

n

1. Continuous professionalization

• Centralized database system

• Methodology of condition assessmentintegrated in the database system

Veerle Meul – MaksinRisk and value-based prioritizing of

conservation strategies in historic interiors

• Increase number of inspections a year increase the regularity of inspections = monitoring

Challenges for the future

2. Extension of services: - cost calculation & long term maintenance planning: 2009- maritime heritage: started in 2008- archeological sites: feasibility study in 2008 – 1 team in 2009

3. International network of similar organisations Leipzig 2008

4. Unesco Chair

Challenges for the future