Overview

The 3rd International Conference on Defence Sites: Heritage and Future will be reconvened in 2016 in Alicante following the success of the previous meetings held in Portsmouth, UK in 2012 and the Arsenale di Venezia, Italy in 2014. The conference series launched by the Wessex Institute is co-organised on this occasion by the University of Alicante, Spain.

Redundant defence sites offer a range of opportunities to planners, architects and local communities to redevelop large areas, bringing new life to often neglected parts of towns. The opportunities are common to many countries and the papers to be presented at the conference will stress this common feature and help to share experiences of the transformation of defence sites to civilian uses around the world. The conference objective is to raise the knowledge of the scale, design and functions of defence sites. It brings a better understanding of the issues raised by their redundancy and the implications of different disposal processes for the land.

The re-use of defence sites also raises questions regarding the need to recover brownfields and contaminated land which can have far-reaching legal responsibilities and environmental consequences. Another aim of the conference is to discuss the need to achieve sustainable development which involves issues related to maintenance and conservation, as well as built and natural environmental controls, while responding to the needs and aspirations of the community.

Conference Topics:
Fortified cities
Case studies
Community involvement
Economic analysis
Risk assessment
Simulation and modelling
Funding and legal requirements
Military engineering in the modern age
Conservation and restoration
Transition from military to civilian uses
Fortified heritage, culture, tourism & education
Military heritage history
Castles and fortresses