Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has set out its vision for how heritage can be the keystone of Scotland’s green recovery with the publication of its Green Recovery StatementThank you for the historic environment of yesterday.
Moses Jenkins, senior tech officer at HES, shows Neil Gray a sash & case window training rig.
The historic environment sector and the traditional materials, construction methods, and skills that it entails provide over 5,000 years worth of knowledge and practice on how to live sustainably. The statement sets out how Scotland can use this past to support its future, highlighting key areas where the sector – both the traditional built environment and wider intangible cultural heritage – can make a vital contribution to sustainable economic recovery across policy agendas, including traditional skills and jobs, digital connectivity and responsible tourism.
HES is urging action in the historic environment sector. HES emphasizes that the historic and built environments have enormous potential to reduce emissions and reach net-zero targets. HES is calling for maintenance and adaptation of the built environments to be prioritized in order to maximize the use of existing carbon and reduce the environmental impact of new construction.
This statement describes how making the best of what we have can help sustain sustainable living and reduce carbon emission by repairing, reusing, and retrofitting the existing built environment. The maintenance of traditional buildings creates good jobs and skills and supports heritage-led renewal to create resilient communities with a unique sense of place.
With the importance of heritage to Scotland’s tourism economy, the statement also highlights the lead role the sector has to play in driving responsible tourism that can make better places for people both to live in and visit. It is important to focus on land management and the importance of the historic environment in supporting biodiversity. Also, it is important to harness digital technology to preserve historic places and open them to new audiences in creative ways. This includes the creation of interactive digital 3D model that allows users to virtually tour historic sites from their own homes.
The statement has been published to support the wider historic environment sector to galvanise action towards green recovery; help organisations and groups showcase the work they are already doing in these areas and demonstrate the potential of the sector to provide the solutions required for Scotland’s just-transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy that is fair for all.
The publication comes as minister for culture, Europe and international development Neil Gray visited the Engine Shed, Scotland’s national conservation centre, in Stirling. He met learners from Warmworks – the managing agent of the Scottish Government’s national fuel poverty scheme – as HES begins delivery of the qualification Level 3 Award in Energy Efficiency Measures for Older and Traditional Buildings. This qualification is a key component of HES’s commitment to supporting net-zero through the retrofit of traditional buildings.
The course is part of the requirements for various standards relating to retrofit. It will directly support Warmworks’ work to provide efficient heating and insulation to households that are struggling with high energy bills. This course will provide expert guidance and advice on how to properly install energy efficiency measures in older and traditional buildings.
From left: Alex Paterson (chief executive of HES); Neil Gray, Culture minister; Emily Tracey estates strategist at HES; Moses Jenkins
The qualification will also help ensure the wider construction industry is equipped with the skills required for the retrofit of Scotland’s existing built environment, which will play a key role in reducing carbon emissions and achieving climate goals. Traditional buildings make up around 20% of the nation’s housing stock, making it crucial to reduce the energy they use and the carbon they emit in order to meet national net-zero targets. This circular economy supports green jobs, local skills, and boosts local supply chain.
Alex Paterson, chief executive of HES, said: “Scotland faces a number of challenges on the road to sustainable economic recovery and net-zero, but we also have an opportunity to champion our historic environment and its potential to deliver solutions and provide a source of resilience for communities as we work together towards a green recovery.
“We want our Green Recovery Statement to be a tool for the sector to help articulate the ways in which the historic environment supports green principles and contributes to key policy agendas. We want the sector to have a voice in order to better inform policymaking decisions and infrastructure investment decisions.
“Our new Energy Efficiency course is an excellent example of this vision in action, showing how we can collaborate to develop and deliver vital skills that will make a real difference to communities across Scotland.
“We look forward to building and strengthening partnerships, both within the historic environment sector and with wider Scottish society, as we work towards our vision of a sustainable Scotland with a flourishing historic environment at its centre.”
Culture minister Neil Gray said: “I welcome Historic Environment Scotland’s Green Recovery Statement which recognises the importance of maintaining our historic and built environment in a sustainable way to support our transition to net zero and a climate-resilient economy.
“I enjoyed visiting the Engine Shed and was especially pleased to meet some of the learners who are taking the qualification in Energy Efficiency Measures for Older and Traditional Buildings.
“Innovative approaches like these are vital not just to protect our heritage for future generations but to preserve traditional skills, create jobs and promote resilient communities.”
Ross Armstrong, Warmworks chief executive, said: “We are pleased to be part of the training provided by HES. We are committed to continuing to update and improve our skills and looking for ways to improve.
“By ensuring our assessors remain fully equipped to advise on new, renewable technologies for all types of housing and buildings – including traditional buildings – we can confidently say that we are supporting an inclusive, just transition towards low carbon living.”
The Green Recovery StatementThe historic environment can be viewed at the Website HES. Visit the website for more information about Level 3 Award, Energy Efficiency in Older Buildings and Traditional Buildings. Engine Shed website.