Home » Working Groups » WG 1: Archival Management
Working Group 1
Archival Management
Mission
WG1 works to strengthen the management and preservation of Landscape Architecture (LA) archives across Europe.
Our goal is to promote archival standards and build strong collaborations between archivists, researchers and landscape architecture professionals.
We focus especially on regions where records are at risk and archival infrastructures are still developing. WG1 promotes post-custodial archival methods and supports professionals in gaining essential skills – including appraisal, acquisition, classification, and description – through manuals, visits, training sessions, and knowledge exchange.
Key Activities
1. Mapping Existing Archives
Identifying and documenting landscape architecture archives and collections in collaboration with COST members.
Activities:
- Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) to assess archives by age, condition, type, and accessibility.
- Workshops to analyse findings and build a cartographic database.
2. Identifying Innovative Archival Models
Exploring and sharing effective archival practices to strengthen expertise and improve access to archives.
Activities:
- Online workshops to review and compare current approaches.
- STSMs, study visits, and masterclasses to exchange knowledge and replicate successful models.
3. Creating a Manual of Best Practices
Developing a comprehensive guide for managing both analog and digital LA records – from care and storage to long-term preservation.
Activities:
- Workshops for knowledge exchange.
- STSM to compile the manual.
4. Creating a Manual for Donors
Designing a practical guide to help LA professionals and associations organise and donate their materials to archives.
Activities:
- Workshops to gather insights and experiences.
- STSM to produce the donor handbook.
5. Digital Technologies & Archival Challenges
Building capacity in managing digital records – such as CAD files, GIS data, BIM models, and 3D representations – and advancing digitisation and digital humanities standards.
Activity:
- One dedicated training school.
Recent Activites of Working Group 1
Titled “Develop and standardise early-phase archival acquisition protocols,” this hybrid workshop addressed the transition from scattered fieldwork data and private collections to professional archival management. Contributing to WG1’s Tasks T1.3 and T1.4 (Deliverables D3 and D4), the session used the Yalıboyu Evleri (Riverfront Houses) Digital Inventory in Amasya as a case study. Discussion centred on […]
22 June 2026
© David ClarkIn 2026, WG3 members organized four Regional Workshops. The overarching aim of these Regional Workshops is to initiate dialogue between teachers and students to identify their wishes and needs, and if possible, to start co-creating new methods and tools for using landscape architecture archives and archival materials in education. This co-creation process will continue into 2027. […]
10 May 2026
© Hanna Sorsa-SautetThis two-day event brought together experts and practitioners to explore the future of collaborative archives in landscape architecture, heritage preservation, and beyond, with 11 participants attending onsite and 10 joining online. The meeting focused on advancing WG1’s collaborative inventory roadmap through metadata and technical planning for the online archive map, brainstorming second-year activities and STSM […]
10 May 2026