Get Sust! Issue 44

Teach more refurb, says CABE chairman

A conference jointly organised by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the National Trust, English Heritage and Somerset House, highlighted a significant gap in the curriculum on many built environment courses – restoring or managing historic buildings.

Climate-change-driven rising sea levels, new rainfall patterns and the likelihood of flash flooding are putting many of our landmarks at risk. Not all buildings can be saved but, as Deborah Lamb, Director of Policy and Communications at English Heritage, pointed out to the conference that knowing how to deal with occasional severe weather events is crucial. She warned that non-specialist contractors could unnecessarily damage precious internal surfaces.

With this in mind, Sir John Sorrell, Chairman of CABE told the conference: “Refurbishment needs to become a core part of the curriculum in schools of the built environment. Caring for our heritage takes skilled and specialist craftspeople. We need to make that glamorous – and inspire our young people to learn to preserve their heritage.”

A good example of typical problems was presented by English Heritage’s Chris Wood: the change in the Building Regulations Part L has meant that, in some cases, historic windows have been removed in the mistaken belief that they couldn’t comply with the new regulations. In the eighteenth century, windows were made from “common deal” wood, which was of very high quality and can last for hundreds of years. Replacing them with PVC double glazing is certainly not environmental. He reported that joint research with Historic Scotland is identifying many interventions – some as simple as a thick pair of curtains – that can make such windows compliant with modern standards.

Learn more:

•

Source: ‘Saving our heritage - time to act’ www.ciob.org/news/view/2091