Short course
Architectural Conservation: History and Global Practice
Course status:
Course ended
Location:
Online
Dates:
16/09/2025 - 25/11/2025
Study format:
Online - live
Fees:
£360.00
Climate change presents a great threat to our cultural heritage. But managing the historic environment can also help us prepare for and respond to change. Architectural conservation has a crucial role to play in our future, by helping us adapt our built environment to be in greater harmony with the natural environment. Those entrusted with the care of our old buildings are responsible for passing on the story of how we make our place in the world.
Care for the historic built environment reflects broader cultural values. In the past, approaches varied from place to place. They depended on the local environment, for example on what materials were available. Global principles have emerged alongside these local traditions. These principles are still tied to social and environmental issues. That means architectural conservation practice has to account for complex issues and attitudes. When caring for an historic building, each case is unique. There are no right answers (although there are plenty of wrong answers!). Science can help us, but it can't make decisions for us.
Together, we will cover the origins of the architectural conservation movement. We will frame practical approaches globally and in the UK within this movement. We will discuss the role of scientific understanding in shaping these developments. Case studies will cover the tutor's work at UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
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Programme details
This course begins on the 16 Sep 2025 which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting which will be held on 23 Sep 2025, 5.00-6.00pm (UK time)
Week 1: Global context: Lessons from Mali and Japan
Week 2: Conservation prehistory: From the Renaissance to the Romantic
Week 3: Emergence of theory: Ideal state or anti-scrape?
Week 4: Towards common principles: The Athens and Venice charters and their legacy
Week 5: Case studies 1: The Tower of London and Pompeii
Week 6: The role of science: Understanding change in the built environment
Week 7: Present day frameworks: Managing the historic built environment
Week 8: Balancing values: Architectural conservation in practice
Week 9: Future prospects: Trends in our approach to the historic built environment
Week 10: Case studies 2: Blenheim Palace and Petra
Level and demands
This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.
This course is offered at FHEQ Level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments and for the weekly webinar. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours, including those spent in live webinars.
English Language Requirements
We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements
Course aims
- To introduce the complex issues surrounding care for the historic built environment.
- To give context to the emergence of architectural conservation theory, by covering historical developments and explaining different approaches and attitudes.
- To locate current practical frameworks and policies within the broader theoretical framework.
- To gain an appreciation of how scientific understanding has shaped architectural conservation, and of current trends and their potential implications for managing the historic built environment.
IT requirements
Any standard web browser can be used to access course materials on our virtual learning environment, but we recommend Google Chrome. We also recommend that students join the live webinars on Microsoft Teams using a laptop or desktop computer rather than a phone or tablet due to the limited functionality of the app on these devices.
Programme details
This course begins on the 16 Sep 2025 which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting which will be held on 23 Sep 2025, 5.00-6.00pm (UK time)
Week 1: Global context: Lessons from Mali and Japan
Week 2: Conservation prehistory: From the Renaissance to the Romantic
Week 3: Emergence of theory: Ideal state or anti-scrape?
Week 4: Towards common principles: The Athens and Venice charters and their legacy
Week 5: Case studies 1: The Tower of London and Pompeii
Week 6: The role of science: Understanding change in the built environment
Week 7: Present day frameworks: Managing the historic built environment
Week 8: Balancing values: Architectural conservation in practice
Week 9: Future prospects: Trends in our approach to the historic built environment
Week 10: Case studies 2: Blenheim Palace and Petra
Teaching methods
This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Any standard web browser can be used to access these materials, but we recommend Google Chrome. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.
All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- know the key developments in the history of architectural conservation. Be able to distinguish different approaches within those developments and assign them to relevant people, charters, etc;
- understand the role of deeper cultural values that underpin those different approaches, and be able to articulate several viewpoints on what good practice could entail in any given case;
- appreciate the role and limit of scientific method in searching for best practice, and recognise how to apply it within prevailing frameworks.
Assessment methods
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Dr Martin Michette
Martin is a Departmental Lecturer in Architectural History and Cultural Heritage and Director of the Cultural Heritage Training Programme. He is also a Researcher in the Oxford Resilient Buildings and Landscapes Lab at the School of Geography and the Environment. He studied Architecture (BSc) at the University of Bath and Building Conservation (MEng) at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, before gaining his doctorate in Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology at the University of Oxford. He spent several years working in architectural practice and continues to work as a historic building surveyor in a freelance capacity.
Assessment methods
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Level and demands
This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.
This course is offered at FHEQ Level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments and for the weekly webinar. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours, including those spent in live webinars.
English Language Requirements
We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £360.00 |
Module code: O25P710HCZ
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.
