CONSERVATION / HISTORY & MATERIALS - RUIN REUSE - BRIEF

As part of our Conservation and History & Materials modules we are to do a project that will become a combination of the two. Without further adieu here is the brief:

You are working in an architectural practice and have been asked as a small group to produce a proposal for a client (Sabine Coady-Schaebitz, Director of the Collaborative Centre for the Built Environment (CCBE)) who wants to re-use a currently ruinous historic structure in her ownership.

The client has asked you to propose an appropriate re-use for the ruin chosen, and to show how you would approach the restoration and insertion of new work into the building. Re-use examples might be: dwelling, holiday lets (Astley Castle and the Landmark Trust), or commercial offices. This will require a significant level of intervention: roof, flooring, windows, doors, staircases, insulation and services.

You are therefore asked to produce an indicative outline proposal for the re-use scheme, which the client can use to make an initial assessment of the viability of their plans, but also, to make an initial approach to English Heritage, who have formal responsibility for assessing proposed works to Scheduled Ancient Monuments.

The client’s aim is to make the re-used building viable and self-sustaining into the future – e.g. to enable ongoing conservation repairs and maintenance, as required. The client’s argument is that through a sensitive re-use scheme the currently at risk building will be preserved into the future, rather than being allowed to deteriorate.

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