Lime seamless floor - an experimental approach: Lunchtime CPD Lecture

Event details

Wednesday 19 March, 1pm – 2pm

Lime seamless floor at the Royal Hospital Chelsea: an experimental approach

The third in our series of four lunchtime CPD lectures addressing the theme ‘New Ideas for Old Buildings’. 

During this talk, Laura will discuss how an experimental approach was taken at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, supported by the NLHF, to create a lime seamless floor in the Stable Block. Drawing on an 18th-century Venetian tradition, itself first practiced in Ancient Rome, this beaten lime technique is known as 'cocciopesto'.  It is made with crushed bricks, lime, sand and other stone aggregates to produce a floor that is beautiful, breathable and manages water effectively. This flooring is still produced in Venice today but is a relatively novel approach here in the UK and Laura's lecture will explore how this could be a starting point for future developments in the field of sustainable seamless flooring.

Speaker bio

Laura studied architecture at La Sapienza University and Conservation at The Conservation of Monuments School in Rome.  She is registered as an architect in the UK (RIBA and ARB) and Italy and is a registered Conservation Architect on the RIBA register.  Laura practiced in Italy from 1996 to 2000 and worked on a number of historic buildings, including several damaged by the 1998 earthquake in Umbria and Marche.  In 2000 she joined a group of architects, led by Professor Giovanni Carbonara, on a conservation project of the medieval Cloister of Santi Quattro Coronati Monastery in Rome, listed within the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Watch.  She has acted as Project Architect on the RHC Long Wards and RHC Stables.  Laura is particularly interested in sustainability and giving buildings new uses compatible with their heritage values.  She is a member of Southwark Diocesan Advisory Committee.  Laura is a founder of the GeM Charity, set up in memory of Gloria Trevisan and Marco Gottardi, young architects killed in the Grenfell fire. GeM aims to provide an annual scholarship award to help talented Italian graduates study and gain experience in architectural conservation in the UK. It also hopes to be able to make the scholarship reciprocal and offer scholarships to UK-based architects as well.

About this series

The SPAB launched a series of online CPD sessions in 2020. These short sessions are specially designed to give you a way to easily meet your CPD requirements and improve your understanding of building conservation during your lunch break or in your own time. 
Following on from the success of the 2024 SPAB-STBA conference on ‘New Ideas for Old Buildings’, we will be continuing on this theme with a series of four lunchtime lectures throughout March.  Our traditional and historic buildings are facing unique challenges in the face of climate change, technological advancements, skills shortages, and economic pressures.  These talks will help us explore where tradition meets innovation, and how the past informs the future.  

The talks will be held via Zoom and followed by live Q&A sessions with the speakers. The recordings will also be available to watch for one month after the events.

The CPD sessions are £20 each (£15 concessions*) and can also be booked as a package of four at the discounted price of £65 (£48 concessions*).

* These concessions prices are available for students and people who are unwaged or on low income. There are no eligibility criteria, these discounts are available for anyone who needs them. This is a trust-based system and we do not require proof or even an explanation of the rate you choose

Other talks in this series

Wednesday 5 March 2025, 1pm – 2pm BOOK HERE
Matt Bateman and Greg Meeson, Refinery Studio - Technology and Tradition: using digital tools to support the traditional woodcarving process

Wednesday 12 March 2025, 1pm – 2pm BOOK HERE
Nikolay Shahpazov, Bennetts Associates - Using site excavated subsoil to make earth blocks for building construction

Wednesday 26 March 2025, 1pm – 2pm BOOK HERE
Jonathan Garlick, The SPAB and Mal Fryer, Malcolm Fryer Architects - Touching the Old Lightly: New Ideas at the Old House Project

CLICK HERE to book all four lectures as a package for £65 (saving £15) or £48 for concessions (saving £12)

Assessment / Accreditation 

A CPD certificate can be issued upon request. 

Accessibility

• We will enable live transcriptions in Zoom.  To find out more about this feature, please visit the Zoom website: Using call live transcription

Anything we can do to make this event more accessible for you? Please email education@spab.org.uk

Partners

This event is brought to you in association with the Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance (STBA)

The STBA (Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance) is an alliance of the UK's leading organisations associated with the conservation and improvement of traditional buildings. The STBA aims to develop policy, guidance and training to minimise risks and maximise benefits to traditional buildings and their owners.

About us

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) is here for old buildings and the people who care for them. Based on years of experience and research we understand how old buildings work.

We may take photos or videos at this event to be used in future promotion, including in print and online.

All bookings are subject to our Terms and Conditions. 

Photo credit: Feltracco Fratelli