24 C O N T E X T 1 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 DOUGLAS CAMPBELL Heritage on the edge: Aberdeen 2022 It was clear from the start that, planned in a world emerging from a pandemic, Aberdeen 2022 would need to be different from previous IHBC annual schools. There was never any doubt that Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire had a lot to offer delegates at Aberdeen 2022. Grampian may not be the best-known corner of the UK, even to many Scots. It is somewhat off the beaten track, away from the intensity and development of the M8 corridor and tourist routes to the Highlands. But it is a surprising and beguiling part of Scotland with a whole world of heritage and really positive building conservation activity we thought people should have a chance to see. The area’s exposed location, late-20th-century oil and gas legacies and Aberdeen’s recently listed post-war slab blocks led to the notion of ‘heritage on the edge’. By no means an original idea, it seemed geographically appropriate for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, and sufficiently flexible to encapsulate other aspects of edge. It allowed consideration of heritage on the edge of what is considered for formal protection, plus what is at the technological cutting edge of research and understanding for historic buildings. It was also about place and the multilayered strategic approaches that many will be familiar with in delivering conservation-led regeneration, or regeneration where built heritage plays an important part. Event committee There are more well-qualified and experienced conservation officers, heritage professionals, IHBC members and prospective members in north-east Scotland than one might imagine; something we do not take for granted. The Aberdeen 2022 event committee benefitted from this pool of experience at various points of planning and delivering the school; all volunteers, each contending with varied work pressures. A critical mass of organisers allowed us to keep the momentum going and, to be fair, we enjoyed meeting up at the pub for planning meetings when this was possible. We welcomed the early and continuing input, support and encouragement of the Scottish branch of the IHBC which let the local event committee push on with its work. IHBC delegates visited harbourside regeneration projects at Portsoy, Aberdeenshire. (Photo: Doane Photography) Members of the Aberdeen 2022 committee on the grand staircase of Aberdeen Town and County Hall (Photo: Jonathan Taylor)
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