Formation
In 1973 the Institution of Heating and Ventilating Engineers (IHVE) formed the Archaeology of Building Services Working Party. The year 1973 was important as it celebrated the 75th anniversary of the formation of the Institution of Heating & Ventilating Engineers.
The major aim was to create a historical record for future generations to understand how the industry was created, and to identify the names of the Pioneers who designed and manufactured the systems and equipment. A secondary aim was to collect historical items to donate to museums.
In 1977 The Working Party took Item 3 of the original IHVE Terms of Reference as its main objective, "To make the building services industry aware of the need to record historically significant installations before they become extinct"
From 1979 the Archaeology of Building Services Working Party changed its name from Working Party to Working Group, and a further change in name was made in 1982 when it became the Building Services Heritage Group.
Recent History
In 2022, the Heritage Group created a subcommittee, Retrofit in Heritage, to disseminate knowledge on the retrofit and building services interventions in heritage buildings to its members.
In 2025, the subcommittee was merged into the main committee to highlight this key aspect of preservation of our industry's past.
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