Assessing how organizations approach the maintenance management of listed buildings

Abstract

Preventative maintenance has been identified as a key intervention in protecting built cultural heritage. How organizations approach the maintenance management of listed buildings in their care is explored using a framework which integrates best practice from the general maintenance management and conservation sectors. At present both heritage and non‐heritage organizations are falling short of a best‐practice approach. Although there is increasing awareness among heritage organizations about the importance of maintenance, these organizations lack a systematic and integrated approach to maintenance that centres on the idea of explicitly using the identification of cultural significance and vulnerability as the key reference point for management decisions and actions. While many of the non‐heritage organizations had adopted aspects of a best‐practice approach to general maintenance management, these had not been recontextualized for the needs of the listed stock. There is a need for a step change to ensure that the retention of cultural significance and minimal intervention set the context for maintenance management strategies and implementation.