Papers are invited from academics, practitioners, planners, historians, those working in public agencies, and others on any aspect of the conference themes outlined below.

BACKGROUND
The 'Venice Charter'
(www.international.icomos.org/charters/venice_e.htm) aims to define the common responsibility of nations to safeguard cultural heritage for future generations. It followed a series of charters on conservation that appeared in the mid C20. The 'Athens Charter' of 1931 (www.icomos.org/docs/athens_charter.html) proscribed 'integrative' restoration, encouraging a view of old buildings as historical documents. Viewed as such, old buildings could be studied and admired but never copied, for fear of 'falsifying' history. This modernist concept was promptly incorporated into the Italian government's Norme per il restauro dei monumenti. of 1932 (web.tiscali.it/restauroantico/carta_1932.htm), and, inspired Le Corbusier to write a text on conservation following the fourth congress of the Congres Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM) in 1933. The Venice Charter was agreed at the Second International Congress of Architects and Technicians of Historic Monuments in May 1964.

The Charter's insistence that buildings and settings be seen as historical documents which must not be 'falsified' perhaps reflects a common post-war belief in 'the end of history'. Since its inception, particular clauses of the Venice Charter have been used to block traditional design and privilege the voice of the transnational class of modernist architects and their multinational patrons over those of local peoples and traditional cultures.

INTBAU seeks to advance a pluralist view that allows considerations of cultural continuity, tradition and collective memory to over-ride the requirement that buildings be treated as historic documents. We seek not to replace the Charter, but to supplement it. We are in contact with ICOMOS about our proposals.

THEMES
1. To situate the Venice Charter in the context of its times and to interrogate the text;
2. to examine the range of conservation philosophies and architectural responses that characterised conservation before the Venice Charter;
3. to hear contemporary case studies of the Venice Charter in operation around the world, in a variety of cultural contexts;
4. to draft a policy for reconstructions and for traditional architecture and urbanism in historic areas.

ABSTRACTS
Please submit your abstract through our secure online form, at http://www.intbau.org/venicecharter.htm You will receive immediate acknowledgement that your abstract has been received.

Alternatively, email abstracts to matthew.hardy@princes-foundation.org as Word attachments titled 'yourfamilyname_titleword.doc' in the following 3-page format:

1. Name, contact details and institutional affiliation.
2. Biographic statement, max 80 words or less, including recent publications.
3. Abstract - Paper title, relevant conference themes, keywords and abstract, max 300 words.

All abstracts are due on MONDAY 15 MAY 2006 and acceptance will be notified on Monday 12 June 2006. The conference runs from Thursday 2 November (evening) - Saturday 5 November, in Venice, Italy.

INTBAU (http://www.intbau.org/) is a growing international Charity that supports research and education in, and understanding of, traditional building, architecture and urbanism.