International Exhibition and Conference on Building Conservation,
Habima Theater, Tel Aviv, Israel
Conference Topic : Heritage at Risk
This year, the 6th International Exhibition and Conference on Building Conservation will be held on Thursday, December 9 at the Habima Theater in Tel Aviv. It will simultaneously take place on a unique and exciting virtual graphic platform
Dozens of speakers, experts and lecturers from Israel and around the world and thousands of participants took part in the five previous international exhibitions on conservation and accompanying professional conferences at Habima Theater – over 1,200 at each. In light of the success of these events and the great interest they elicited, as well as our accumulated experience using modern technologies, it was decided to hold the first hybrid conference and exhibition, with both in-person and virtual attendance. This will make possible broad international exposure, both to the general public as well as to professional and commercial bodies.
This conference, the largest conservation event in Israel, is unique in assembling information and professional expertise in one place. It is also unique in appealing to diverse Israeli and international audiences in the field of conservation in order to create an effective professional platform to encourage cooperation and the sharing of knowledge among interested parties.
We are working to expand the existing working relationships with institutions, international conservation organizations, embassies and chambers of commerce from around the world (Portugal, Belgium, England, Germany and others) and are in contact with the leading partners in the world’s largest international conservation exhibitions – in Italy, France, the United States and Germany.
This year, once again, we plan to host representatives of international bodies that will be partners in the event, both the physical exhibition and the virtual platform, and to conduct professional meetings and chats.
The physical and virtual exhibitions will be produced by Icon Conferences and the conference and its content will be produced and led by the Department of International Relations of the Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel, under the guidance of a professional steering committee.
The theme of this year’s professional conference is “Heritage at Risk” – the main issue currently being addressed in the international conservation world.
Heritage sites around the world are exposed to a wide range of threats and natural disasters as a result of climate change: air pollution, fires, floods, earthquakes, weathering processes and more. The sites are also exposed, especially in urban areas, to development pressures, the introduction of modern infrastructures such as transportation systems, over-tourism, fighting in war zones, nationalist struggles, gentrification, loss of knowledge of traditional construction technologies and more.
At the conference, experts from Israel and around the world will present ways to deal with these challenges through planning and technological tools, changing work perceptions and treating conservation as a part of urban renewal processes, establishing dedicated rescue forces, developing and using unique technologies to treat weathering, strengthening buildings, “recycling” buildings and more.
Members of the professional steering committee
- Tamar Tuchler – chairman of the steering committee, CEO Deputy Director of the International Relations Department, the Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel
- Architect Eran Mordohovitz – chairman Icomos Israel
- Irit Amit – Representative of the board of directors, Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel
- Michael Cohen – chairman promda
- Yael Kligman Soffer – National steering Committee for Earthquake preparedness
- Architect Shira Shapiro – Deputy Senior Director the Heritage Division, Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage
- Orit Bortnik – Heritage site conservation director, Israel nature and parks Authority
- Ben Tava – Emergency Security Officer, Ministry of Culture
- Omer Kaufman – chairman of the Exhibition
- Inon Hacohen, Producer of the exhibition, Icon Conferences
- Meir Ronen – conservation engineer, Schaffer & Ronen Engineer
- Yael Etkin- Statutory and urban planning Discipline coordinator, Tel Aviv district, the Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel
- Gil Bezalel – International Relations Department, Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel
- Uri Ben Ari Zioni – Director of the Northern District, Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel
- Ben Tava– Emergency Security Officer, Ministry of Culture
- Elisheba Kamayes-Israel society for the conservation and preservation of cultural property
Target audience: Architects, entrepreneurs, engineers, contractors, appraisers, conservators, public companies that are leading the field of conservation in Israel, supervisors and enforcement officials, plan reviewers, decision makers in the planning authorities and local authorities, rescue forces and all those involved in the Israeli and international conservation arenas.
