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Conservation architecture is an important part of preserving historic buildings for future generations to not only see but to use in their own way. However, knowing how to prepare for building conversation can be difficult, if not downright impossible, without outside help.
We at Architectural Designers provide amazing conservation architecture nationwide across the UK. Rather than taking down and replacing structures, we focus on historic building conversation, making sure that we keep each structure as close to its original design as possible.
Many historic buildings have a strong cultural significance, especially architectural heritage. Both more recent and ancient buildings alike are an original building made with the natural resources and architectural design options available at the time they were built.
Our architectural conservation programme aims to offer historic preservation of heritage buildings under a strong conservation philosophy, using our professional experience and expertise to keep our conservation projects clean, efficient and accurate to the original historic sites.
We are dedicated to doing the best we can with the skills we have, restoring buildings to a stable state that emulates how they used to be while also improving any weakened, risky or outright dangerous sections that are not suitable for regular use.
Architectural conservation - or historic building conservation in general - is all about preserving a cultural heritage site. Keeping a historic environment preserved is a major part of conservation architect work, and many buildings require extra measures to protect them but we also want to make sure that are still safe to use as well.
Our heritage management experts are able to look at the structural behaviour and designs of buildings, using their knowledge and skills to maintain the same style - all while providing the structure with a well-built environment that is safe to use in day-to-day life.
For additional costs, some preservation projects use the same building techniques and materials as the original structure, down to the chemical mixtures. This is something that we are willing to try and do if needed, and our experts can plan out the entire project ahead of time.
Many cultural heritage sites are part of a larger conservation project meant to conserve the historic environment or historic buildings involved. Our conservation architects understand the relevant conversation principles and have completed countless projects to use as professional practice.
Culturally-valued buildings in a historic environment can often have conservation issues, gradually falling apart or becoming a less sustainable environment to work in as the materials wear away. We offer to support buildings, managing change and restoring that would otherwise be lost.
Some buildings also have a connection to older forms of the English language, minority cultures, certain groups, or even religious significance. They are not just historical but can have meaning to groups that you encounter in everyday life.
Whether it is to develop greater intellectual skills or just find out more about architecture and civil engineering, preserving spaces like this can be extremely important to university students and people with a postgraduate degree alike.
The closer we can keep structures to how they actually were in the past, the easier it becomes to learn what has changed and to visibly see the difference between old and new architecture. A lot of these spaces are made with incredibly specific methods that are not used today.
The skills involved in keeping a site the same, but also making necessary changes to develop more safety options or an easier-to-access space, are a point of pride for our teams. Sometimes buildings even need new 'entry requirements, such as old doors being uncovered and replaced.
What Does the Preservation of Historic Buildings Involve?
Our building preservation work can cover a lot of different sub-projects and specific tasks, some of which are extremely important in the long term. Understanding the basics of our work can be important if you are not sure where to start.
Structures that have taken damage, worn away or been neglected will often end up being much harder to use for any kind of purpose. They can be dangerous, hard to navigate, and might collapse on their own for seemingly no reason.
Restoring a building completely, often means setting up new supports and safety measures, as well as replacing walls, floors and other surfaces that are too dangerous to leave as-is.
A core part of our work is to preserve as much of the original structure as possible, only replacing parts when they are impossible to salvage or cannot be relied on as a safe part of the building. If a surface is too risky to leave as it is, we will try to fix it first, then swap it out for fresh materials.
One-of-a-kind elements, like stained glass windows, are a much more important kind of preservation. While we can have them reconstructed or get another copy made, preserving and repairing the original for as long as possible is always our first focus
Any natural parts of the area, such as rivers, lakes and hills, are another thing we try to protect when keeping architecture safe. They can be just as important as any other part of a heritage site and can often be part of the original plan if the structure is built in an unusual place.
We also have to keep an eye on the landscape to make sure that there are no threats to the building and to make sure that it is still accessible in its current state. Older structures may have been built in places that now require extra work to be able to reach them safely or be in locations that are not car-accessible without help.
A conserved structure can still wear down or start to break if it is not cared for properly. Our staff are prepared to start in-depth maintenance of anything that is not too damaged to need full replacement, including parts of the original structure that are kept instead of repaired or replaced.
A lot of maintenance work can require in-depth planning and careful consideration for how it will impact the building itself. Our architects spend a lot of time working out the best routines for maintaining a newly refurbished or repaired building.
A large part of our conservation work involves keeping the architecture as close as we can to the original vision. This means replacing any parts that are wearing out or have been damaged while also making sure that the modern additions do not change the look and feel of the structure.
These can be both major and minor pieces of architecture. For example, a house with notable arches in certain areas can often have those replaced if they fall, and natural stone walls can be rebuilt or replaced with near-identical versions.
On the other hand, a larger-scale piece of architecture like an entire staircase or even a whole room might need more time. We can look at the original designs and plans to get an idea of how the space was made, then use modern techniques to create a replica that should be almost exactly the same.
Like all professional bodies focused on building conservation, we follow the key conservation principles that are important to all kinds of historical research and preservation.
All work undertaken by our staff is to help provide students, researchers and the general public with well-built heritage sites. Strong research methodologies and tuition fees mean nothing if the building that you have been learning about collapses in the near future.
Our knowledge of how to preserve architecture, as well as civil engineering experience, makes it easy for us to create a well-built environment that can be easily maintained without losing its original style and vision.
Once we preserve a space properly, it can be accessed by anybody at any time, without risk of them getting hurt or breaking surfaces that are barely holding together. Our work can also make these areas easier to access, especially in damaged or partially collapsed sites.
Whether it is for group projects, case studies or research into English heritage through the entire academic year, a conservation plan allows university students to easily study a building that would otherwise be gone.
When we work on a previously-built environment, we change the building as little as possible, aiming for conservation of the building design. Things like floor support (or wall and ceiling support) are sometimes necessary architectural changes but can still be hidden beneath the original style.
The original designs are often important for making sure that we can keep the building accurate, even if that means using older building methods or copying certain material compositions that are not in regular use anymore.
The Institute of Historic Building Conservation is the UK's main authority on this kind of work. When a site is declared protected by them (or a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the US and international equivalent), it needs to be preserved as accurately as possible.
Rather than try to appeal to an international council just to replace a protected building, this kind of architecture is based on keeping one important aspect of the site the same: how it is constructed.
Any changes we make are properly documented and approved beforehand, including those that need listed building consent. This is not just important for university students, but anybody who needs to know what has changed since the building underwent that work.
This kind of conservation is fairly popular and has even become its own course at some universities, aiming to build skills in students who want to know more about historical architecture.
These often have English language requirements, and the application process (along with funding opportunities) are about what you would expect for universities. The English language requirements mean that some people may not get to study certain buildings before they collapse or rot away.
Our work means that we can preserve buildings for the foreseeable future. If somebody needs to pass English language requirements and raise tuition fees to study a course based around a specific building, this conservation means that it will still be standing when they are fluent in the English language.
If you need any kind of preservation work, then our experts are always on standby for a new project. With so many historical sites all across the UK, there are many that need bespoke conservation, repair, immanence and inspection work done, especially those that are old and starting to fall apart.
Get in touch with us and tell us what kind of work you need. We aim to be flexible enough to accommodate every client and every single space that we work with, so the more you can tell us, the easier it becomes to meet your needs or requirements.