Context 160 - July 2019

46 C O N T E X T 1 6 0 : J U L Y 2 0 1 9 Vox pop Michael Netter Who has been your greatest inspiration? Theodore Roosevelt. One of the first books I can remember reading was a biography of Teddy. I still can remember reading about some of the struggles he overcame. And he was a great conservationist. What has been your best idea? Embarking on the historic building conservation MSc course at Kingston University. I had never come across such a systematic philosophical and practical approach to the concept of conservation, and now that I have completed the course I am a strong proponent of at least some level of conservation being taught in all courses and programmes that affect the built environment. What would you like to have been if you had not become a conservationist? I regret the requirement to specialise so early in life as there are so many interesting things one can do, so I have tried to be a generalist to the extent possible. The amazing thing about conservation is its requirement for breadth, which a quick look at the IHBC competencies demonstrates. That is why I find it so alluring. I am happy to pore over the archives, or swing a hammer, whatever the situation calls for. So it’s hard to say what I would be doing instead. I graduated university with a degree in engineering, having at first thought of becoming a mechanical engineer. How do you reply when at a party someone asks what you do? It’s always tricky as I find that there is so little understanding outside the sector about what we are trying to do and why, so I just say generically that I work in historic building conservation. To their credit people are always interested to hear more about it. What is the biggest frustration in your job? I only started two months ago, so I am still in the honeymoon period. But already I see the difficulty in getting some people in the wider built environment industry to respect not only IHBC accreditation, but conservation philosophy in general. I could see that being a frustration going forward. What would you like to be doing in five years’ time? I hope that I will have been able to gain enough practical experience to successfully apply for full membership of the IHBC. I am currently looking into opportunities to volunteer with local building trusts and the local council in order to help realise this goal. What is your favourite building? There is a unique and intriguing lighthouse over eight miles out from the mouth of the Maumee River, in Lake Erie, called Toledo Harbor Light. I was born and raised in northern Ohio where my father maintained a boat that his grandfather had acquired in 1960, and I spent a lot of time on the lake cruising around the lighthouse. Having been built at the turn of the 20th century on a purpose- built crib, it is literally a single building arising from the lake.