Sustainable Building Conservation

Theory and Practice of Responsive Design in the Heritage Environment 

Principles of conservation and sustainability are easily married but often at odds for architects under increasing pressure to navigate the energy needs of older buildings. By incorporating UK and international case studies together with more theoretical essays the book seeks to identify overlaps in the interests of energy and building conservation. The varied expertise of the contributors; architects, surveyors, consultants and academics, demonstrate the use of qualitative and quantitative frames of reference. The second part of the book showcases sustainable domestic and non-domestic heritage projects, translating the challenges of the preceding research into varied methods that practitioners can use to question and review their everyday work.

The book will be appeal to all architects, building professionals and designers working with traditional buildings and will enhance readers’ ambitions, so that they feel equipped and inspired to work with old buildings sensitively, creatively and sustainably.

Reviews

Dr Sean OReilly, Director, The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC)

A compendium of top notch theoretical and practical expertise on the inherent sustainability of existing buildings, and an ideal companion to British Standard 7913 on historic building conservation. This is an impressive and important rallying call for architects to take pride in their role as guardians of our built heritage.

Robert Franklin, RIBA SCA

This book illustrates the dilemma between ‘do nothing’ and ‘do everything possible’, with telling lessons in how great architecture from the past was designed to work with rather than fight the environment, and how well-informed sensitivity can both protect and enhance our most precious built heritage.

Andrew Shepherd, RIBA, IHBC, FRSA, Past Course Director of Building Conservation, Architectural Association, School of Architecture

The only bad thing about this book is the title, which is ponderous, but it does accurately relay the content. It is a pleasure to welcome a further significant publication from RIBA Publishing, and this is an excellent complement to the very useful "An Introduction to Architectural Conservation: Philosophy, Legislation and Practice” by Nick Lee Evans published by them in 2014.

The book is a series of contributions by well-known practitioners and researchers. Conservation per se is now relatively well understood both in philosophy terms and practical techniques, even if not widely enough disseminated amongst those working on traditional pre-1919 building stock/fabric.

This book  combines updates on the variety of scientific surveying being carried out to accurately record the thermal performance of historic fabric – generally missing from the text bulks, with historic analysis of the effect of the English climate on general principles of environmental design that have developed empirically. Principals of the retrofitting of heritage buildings sets out the background and principals and practicalities of practice very well. Case studies from near and far will be very informative for practitioners as they have come to terms with the truism that modern conservation must include full consideration of all sustainability issues. This is a very valuable book.