The article by Nick Hill in the recent themed Context issue on Building Services presents a fascinating case study of the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, examining factories where the ‘conserve-as-found’ approach was used as a technique to retain the character of the site, offering IHBC members an accessible case against which to examine personal conservation philosophies.
image: Context 159, p19 – Nick Hill
Hill illustrates the implementation of the project, and the impact on those working within the property, noting that: ‘… the end result of the conserve-as-found approach has been remarkably successful in retaining the authentic atmosphere of the building. For the service installations in particular, it was an exceptional project, with very few parallels elsewhere. Towards the end of the re-wiring, the electrician, by now a convert to the peculiar demands of the project, made his own contribution. Instead of fitting new fluorescent tubes everywhere, he saved the best of the old tubes – covered, like the rest of the factory, with a characteristic layer of dust…’.
An exercise list:
- Why not explore the most appropriate approach for the buildings that you are working on, even if not part of a formal brief?
- Or spend some time with colleagues considering where this ‘conserve-as-found’ option may be the chosen path for buildings that you are familiar with, and perhaps start some debate as to when (and why) this may NOT be the best option?
- Explore a global take on conservation philosophy in a different context – under threat – by Prof Zaki at the IHBC’s 2019 Annual School, by following the links from the NewsBlog, including the video.
View the Context article
See more IHBC background and guidance on CPD and on how you might use Context.
See the institute’s formal guidance paper on IHBC CPD(scheduled for update)
See more on the IHBC Areas of Competence and competences
See more IHBC NewsBlogs on conservation philosophy
