The Professional Association of Conservators-Restorers of Catalonia (CRAC) announces its XIV^th Technical Meeting on Conservation in Barcelona. The CRAC was created in 2013 through the merger of two previous Catalan conservator’s associations, ARCC and Grup Tècnic. This international conference represents a continuation of the biennial Technical Meetings previously organised by Grup Tècnic, and held since 2006 at the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC).

The theme of the XIV Technical Meeting, Architectural Conservation, a Team Work, aims to follow the line of the previous meeting, which raised interdisciplinary issues in conservation.

Architectural conservation is a procedure whose objective is to extend the life of architectural material and highlight its historical value and its conceptual integrity. It is an interdisciplinary work in which architects, engineers, builders, craftsmen, historians, curators, scientists and conservators have to have a dialogue. Collaboration between professionals from different backgrounds, sharing their knowledge and experience, should be a fundamental aspect in this field so as to achieve the main goal: the preservation of the monument as a cultural asset. Working together to achieve the necessary cooperation should not be so complicated but rather be enriching and effective.

Around the interventions to the architectural heritage that we see are a series of questions related to the definition of our skills and responsibilities as conservators. What is and what should be our role in architectural interventions? What should be our training? Should we all follow the same line of professional ethics? What is the legal framework that governs us? Can budget cuts justify replacing our contribution, conservation without conservators? How can we improve the dialogue between members of the team?