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) 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.

The conference aims to discuss the potential of architectural heritage conservation in acting as a catalyst for regeneration in areas like tourism and economic development, which in turn helps businesses attract customers. It also discusses the stimulus it can produce in order to inspire new development of imaginative and high-quality design.

It will definitely be a great opportunity for planners, engineers and environmentalists to work together and help conserve the architecture and heritage of a city. On the other hand, they can discuss the challenges that can be faced during the process of conserving the architectural heritage. It will also help provide them with the chance to transfer the importance of heritage preservation to the individuals, communities, and different cities around the world.

Selected papers of the conference will be published in a book series under the title of Advances in Science, Technology, & Innovation (ASTI) by Springer.

Others will be published in the Resourceedings journal by IEREK Press.