KOMO and ERM intensify collaboration

Building parties in both ordinary building and cultural heritage benefit

The foundations KOMO, and ERM (Recognised Restoration Quality of Historic Buildings and Sites), will start to collaborate structurally, so that building companies can certify themselves cost-efficiently for work both in the ordinary building sector and for the preservation of historic building and sites. The business community wishes to be able to work in the ordinary building sector, as well as within cultural heritage, on the basis of well-coordinated assessment guidelines. The collaboration between KOMO and ERM fulfils this wish.

ERM press release excerpt:
Jacques Monasch, chairman of the ERM Foundation, explains: “A company now has the choice between certification for ordinary building work based on KOMO guidelines, or for work the field of built heritage based on ERM guidelines. In the certification process we now we make it possible for both fields of expertise to be included at the same time, already during the development of the guidelines.”

Henry Meijdam, chairman of the KOMO Foundation, speaks of “terrific mutual reinforcement. It is a combination of two worlds of knowledge. Not only the executing building companies benefit from this, but also the clients, the owners of the buildings. Now they get double certainty.”

Monasch indicates that the differences between ordinary building and restoration are increasing. “The regulations, welfare policy, training courses – are increasingly acquiring their own character.” He says, “Nevertheless, caring for historic buildings and sites is highly specialised, like a top sport, and plays a part in the world of building. The collaboration makes it possible to efficiently combine the requirements of ordinary building work, such as the Building Decree and the Quality Assurance for Building Act, and the requirements within historic building and site preservation, such as the permit system and restoration ethics.”

Besides alignment in certification, Meijdam also sees great gains in other areas. “We will also be able to jointly develop knowledge in areas such as sustainability, or think about the foundation issues. Things that are partly specific; “a monument has its own aspects that play a role in sustainability, but are also partly overlapping.”

Monasch also expects; “that we will work together on assignments that will come our way as a result of the coming changes in legislation and regulations, such as the Environmental Act and the Quality Assurance for Building Act. An enormous need for knowledge arises from this.”

See also the previously published article on this website.