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Although the issue of excavating basements under London townhouses has been a hot topic in conservation circles in London for some time it has rarely been an issue that we have been asked to consider. However a recent case allowed us the opportunity to formulate our views on this issue. Essentially, the SPAB is concerned that excavating beneath a property to create a new basement will have a profound impact upon the historic fabric and character of the heritage asset and also on the legibility of the building’s development, even though the changes will not be very visible other than from w...
In the context of building materials, and with particular reference to old and historic buildings, the generic term ‘breathable’ is used to describe an important property of building fabric: the extent to which building materials are able to transmit moisture. Breathable materials should be sufficiently permeable to enable absorbed and surface moisture to evaporate during ambient drying conditions. Loss of moisture from the material needs to occur rapidly enough to ensure that there is no accumulation of moisture which can lead, over time, to significant deterioration of building fabric, de...
Are you thinking of buying an old building for the first time? While we warmly encourage people to make an old building their home, it’s easy to be swept away by romance. Here we offer a checklist of key considerations to help potential buyers make the right choice – both for themselves and for the building of their dreams.
Tracing the history of a building can be very rewarding. The more you know about an old building the more likely you are to value it, appreciate its oddities, and make sensible changes that respect its history. However we would strongly urge you not to start ripping off wall plaster or undertaking other destructive investigations in your understandable enthusiasm for finding out more about the building. Far too much permanent damage has been done by this misguided urge. Also beware: the SPAB was founded because of highly destructive attempts to restore buildings back to some former period....
Energy efficiency is becoming the key issue for people working with historic buildings. SPAB believes that if approaches aren't based on the right figures to begin with, then we could, unintentionally, be doing untold, invasive damage.The initial objective of the SPAB research project was to fit in with the work begun by Historic Scotland and Historic England. Historic Scotland has produced a various reports , looking mainly at the performance of sandstone construction, while English Heritage is currently looking at brick construction. SPAB felt a responsibility to represent other nationall...