Maintenance and change in the historic environment

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Maintenance and change in the historic
environment Peter Rawlings Caroe Architecture
Ltd peter_at_caroe.biz
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OUTLINE OF TALK

• This talk
• who I am
• Buildings and life cycles
• Principles of conservation and
  maintenanceeegimes
• Common features of historic buildings that need
  maintenance
• Some common issues for historic buildings
• Statutory constraints
• How to keep on top of things maintenance plans
  and conservation management

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PETER RAWLINGS

• Who I am an architects perspective
• Architect and Director of Caroe Architecture Ltd
• worked with new and old buildings over a period
  of 20 years, including houses, churches, range of
  institutional buildings
• with Inskip Jenkins Architects Battersea
  Power Station, Somerset House
• with vHH Architects Corfield Court, Cambridge,
  No 1 Smithery, also new buildings schools
  health centres
• with Caroe Architecture Ltd range of scales
  from St Pauls Cathedral to the Warren House,
  Kimbolton.

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LIFE CYCLES

• Buildings as an assembly of different elements
• Structure floors, walls, roof structure
  generally solid load bearing, but can be framed
  50 to 100 year (in some cases almost indefinite
  if properly maintained)
• Roof covering (and wall coverings building
  envelope) 50 years for a flat roof, perhaps 100
  years for a well detailed lead roof cf 15 years
  for a felt roof
• Heating, plumbing electrical installations 15
  years
• Finishes and internal decorations, fittings and
  furnishings perhaps 5 years depends on wear
  and tear

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PRINCIPLES
William Morris SPAB Manifesto 1877
put Protection in the place of Restoration, to
stave off decay by daily care, to prop a perilous
wall or mend a leaky roof by such means as are
obviously meant for support or covering, and show
no pretence of other art, and otherwise to resist
all tampering with either the fabric or ornament
of the building as it stands if it has become
inconvenient for its present use, to raise
another building rather than alter or enlarge the
old one in fine to treat our ancient buildings
as monuments of a bygone art, created by bygone
manners, that modern art cannot meddle with
without destroying.
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PRINCIPLES
Burra Charter 1979 1999 International
Council on Monuments and Sites Article 16.
Maintenance Maintenance is fundamental to
conservation and should be undertaken where
fabric is of cultural significance and its
maintenance is necessary to retain that cultural
significance. Article 17. Preservation Preservati
on is appropriate where the existing fabric or
its condition constitutes evidence of cultural
significance, or where insufficient evidence is
available to allow other conservation processes
to be carried out. Article 18. Restoration and
reconstruction Restoration and reconstruction
should reveal culturally significant aspects of
the place. Article 19. Restoration Restoration
is appropriate only if there is sufficient
evidence of an earlier state of the fabric.
Article 20. Reconstruction 20.1 Reconstruction is
appropriate only where a place is incomplete
through damage or alteration, and only where
there is sufficient evidence to reproduce an
earlier state of the fabric. In rare cases,
reconstruction may also be appropriate as part of
a use or practice that retains the cultural
significance of the place. 20.2 Reconstruction
should be identifiable on close inspection or
through additional interpretation.
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PRINCIPLES
Burra Charter 1979 1999 Article 21.
Adaptation 21.1 Adaptation is acceptable only
where the adaptation has minimal impact on the
cultural significance of the place. 21.2
Adaptation should involve minimal change to
significant fabric, achieved only after
considering alternatives. Article 22. New
work 22.1 New work such as additions to the place
may be acceptable where it does not distort or
obscure the cultural significance of the place,
or detract from its interpretation and
appreciation. 22.2 New work should be readily
identifiable as such. Article 23. Conserving
use Continuing, modifying or reinstating a
significant use may be appropriate and preferred
forms of conservation.
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PRINCIPLES

• General maintenance
• Principles
• maintenance before repair
• repair rather than replace
• honest but sympathetic repair
• take care not to speculate
• keep the water out
• allow the building to breath
• use appropriate materials
• considered and planned approach
• think detail in context
• avoid loss of character

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PRINCIPLES

• General design principles
• maintain current use where appropriate
  possible
• light deft touch
• reversibility timescale (life cycles)
• reuse of existing openings for circulation and
  services
• removal of fabric on an informed basis
• allowing the best of the building to speak
  (singing together)

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GOOD MAINTENANCE

• Regular maintenance
• 1. Rainwater goods
• 2. Roofs
• 3. Junctions Holes, splits
• 4. Walls Check mortar joints and render coatings
  (use lime)
• 5. Ground levels
• 6. Ventilation
• 7. Gullies and drains
• 8. Plants
• 9. Services heating systems and plumbing,
  electrics
• 10. Safety first

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TOOLS HELP

• Some tools and help available
• Dampness and infestation investigation
• Asbestos investigation
• Dendrology
• Archaeological investigation
• Paint sampling stratigraphy
• Thermal imaging air tightness
• Material analysis
• Conservator trials
• Conservation
• accreditation

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ISSUES

• Difficult questions
• Should we repair or replace? (life cycles)
• Where does the authenticity of a historic
  building lie? (fabric, appearance)
• What is acceptable change for a building?
  (Chatham. St Marys)
• If change is not acceptable should we leave it
  to rot?
• What compromises are acceptable to users?
• What improved environmental performance is
  achievable in old buildings?
• What is affordable? Depends on time frame,
  funding streams etc.
• Should we retain facades?
• Where is the role for creativity?

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ISSUES

• Difficult questions
• Should we repair or replace? (life cycles)

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ISSUES

• Difficult questions
• What is acceptable
• change for a building?

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ISSUES

• Difficult questions

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ISSUES

• Some common challenges for historic buildings to
  be addressed in the maintenance period
• access
• equality act / building regulations Part M
• strategic planning of access (with access
  consultant)
• sensitive interventions

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ISSUES

• Some common challenges for historic buildings to
  be addressed in the maintenance period
• environmental performance
• environmental agenda (building regulation part
  L)
• improve thermal performance
• reduce air leakage
• more efficient heating systems
• low carbon systems

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ISSUES

• Some common challenges for historic buildings to
  be addressed in the maintenance period
• fire upgrade work
• careful fire engineering
• low impact products
• can achieve acoustic
• upgrade at same time

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ISSUES

• Some common challenges for historic buildings to
  be addressed in the maintenance period
• fire upgrade work
• coatings to protect
• against fire

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LISTINGS

• Statutory constraints related to maintenance
• listed buildings grade 1, 2 and 2
• scheduled ancient monuments
• registered parks
• conservation areas
• buildings of local interest
• ask your conservation officer
• check the English Heritage website
• repair that involves change of material or
  detail may need listed building approval and/or
  SAM consent
• it is a criminal offence to carry out
  unauthorised work
• the whole building is listed! (even the modern
  ugly bits!)
• fixtures and fittings are listed if attached to
  the building
• for C of E churches there is faculty
  jurisdiction

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CONSERVATION PLANS

• How to keep on top of things maintenance plans
  and conservation management
• conservation management plans
• maintenance plans (including financial planning)
• Continuous maintenance
• Capital maintenance
• Capital enhancement
• Poor maintenance results in higher capital cost

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FURTHER READING

• Where can I find our more? (some sources)
• SPAB website
• HELM website
• Churchcare website
• Old House Handbook Roger Hunt Marianne Suhr
• National Trust Manual of Housekeeping
• EH Conservation Principles policies and
  guidance
• Conservation of Historic Buildings Bernard
  Fielden
• Ask your Local Authority conservation officer
• RIBA conservation architect register
• RICS building conservation register