Heritage Engineering Resources

Guidelines

In September 2023 EHA published An Engineers Guide to the Conservation of Australia's Engineering Heritage. This document replaces the Engineering Heritage & Conservation Guidelines 2014 document which was based on the Burra Charter. As the Burra Charter is focussed on immovable and tangible items (physical structures), the 2014 Guidelines document did not adequately recognise and provide guidance for intangible and movable engineering items.

The aim of this new Guide is to assist engineers, when working on either a built item or its intangible heritage, in assessing the significance of the item and its components; and in devising a course of action to achieve conservation of the significant elements of the item. It provides guidance to engineers working on all types of heritage, either individually or with other heritage professionals and custodians. While it respects the various principles and processes used by different heritage sectors (e.g., architects, museum curators and heritage regulators) it focuses on the special interest that engineers have in conserving our engineering and industrial knowledge.

The concept for this document was initiated by Peter Spratt and was further developed by a sub-committee of Engineering Heritage Australia (EHA) led by Bruce Cole. Other members were Neil Hogg, Dick Baird, Richard Muncey and Tony Moodie. The document is now an essential reference for the Engineering Heritage Recognition Program and for the Heritage Engineering courses jointly developed by Engineering Heritage Australia and the University of Canberra.

The document is also available for download from the Engineers Australia website.

Practice Notes

Engineers Australia receives many requests from Engineers and others for advice and help on assessing items and works for their cultural heritage significance and for conserving those which are considered to be of heritage significance. Appropriate and successful assessment and subsequent conservation often require specific expertise which can only be adequately provided by engineers. Heritage Engineering applies engineering expertise to heritage works and the Practice Notes use a broad application of the principles of the Burra Charter.

As an example, buildings are regarded by the general public as primary heritage works due largely to Architects and the National Trust. However the conservation of those buildings requires knowledge of the basic science of materials and their performance is dependent on knowledge of their attributes, their weaknesses their strengths and how best to use and protect them. The process additionally requires, to name examples, knowledge of structures, of the environment, of geology, of chemistry, of hydraulics and of construction techniques. They include the disintegrating processes of weathering, corrosion, chemical and electrolytic reactions. Public safety is an important consideration.

The scope of relevant knowledge extends to where the technology used fits into the evolution of technique, design and construction, and to the people involved in each of these. The approach is applicable to all works involving technology. The works cover buildings, machines, both fixed and movable, constructions such as dams and reservoirs, electricity generation and applications, communications, treatment and manufacturing plants and equipment, bridges, railways etc. They may include ideas, concepts, processes or new technology but assessment of their heritage value must always include their basic science, their evolution, their social impact and the people involved.

Associated with the development of the 2023 An Engineers Guide to the Conservation of Australia's Engineering Heritage document, EHA has commenced development of a new set of Practice Notes. To provide context and structure, EHA during its meeting on 16 July 2025 approved a Practice Notes Policy document and a Practice Notes Proforma for future practice notes.

Development of Practice Notes has commenced and a table providing an overview of structure and status is below. Where the status is complete, the title provides a link to the completed document for viewing or download.

EHA Practice Notes Numbering and Status April 2026
Primary Subgroup	Topic	Number	Status	Updated
General (G)	- Archiving of engineering information - EHA Oral History Guidelines Extra topics to be added.	G1 G2	Under Development Under Development
Buildings and Structures (BL)	- Fire Safety in Heritage Buildings-Part 1 - Fire Safety in Heritage Buildings-Part 2 - The role of the Heritage Engineer in adaptive reuse or repurposing - Seismic assessment of heritage buildings - Integrating Building Services into Heritage Buildings Extra topics to be added.	BL1.1 BL1.2 BL2 BL3	Final draft- review Final draft-review Under Development
Museum Artefact (MA)	- Stabilisation and engineering considerations for static display Extra topics to be added.
Operating Objects (O)	- Engineering support for operational heritage machinery Extra topics to be added.
Material Specific (M)	- Mortars for Historical Masonry Part 1 - Mortars for Historical Masonry Part 2 - Assessment of older concrete structures Part 1-Pre 1950 - Assessment of older concrete structures Part 2-Post 1950 - Design principles for cast and wrought iron - Stone masonry techniques - Heritage timber assessment and design - Appropriate and compatible material use in conservation	M1.1 M1.2 M2.1 M2.2 M3	Complete - Issued Complete - Issued Under Development Under Development Under Development	April 2026 April 2026
Intangible Heritage (IH)	- Engineering heritage embedded in craft traditions and traditional technologies Extra topics to be added.
Sustainability (Su)	- Sustainability beneﬁts of retaining structures - Embodied energy and material conservation

For reference, a copy of the 2014 Practice Notes is available from the Practice Notes 2014 webpage.

References:
Australian Building Codes Board, Performance Solution Process Handbook, Commonwealth of Australia, 2024.
Cruickshanks-Boyd, David, Resolving challenges to achieving adaptive use outcomes - Panel session at the Australasian Engineering Heritage Conference October 2024. A video of the panel discussion is available from EA OnDemand.
Heritage guidance for repointing mortar joints in older buildings is published by Heritage Council Victoria. The report authored by David Young OAM titled Mortars: Materials, Mixes, and Methods has been downloaded and is available here.

Websites:

Owner	Title	Address	Accessed
Steel Reinforcement Institute of Australia (SRIA)	Technical Publications including Guide to Historical Steel Reinforcement in Australia, Technical Notes, Construction Tips and Alerts and Conference Papers and Presentations including Guide to Historical Steel Reinforcement in Australia.	https://www.sria.com.au/resources/	10 October 2025