Transcript Peter Rawlings 2012 - PeterboroughBuildingsinNeed

Judging Significance in the Historic Environment
The importance of Conservation Statements
and Heritage Impact Assessments
Peter Rawlings
Caroe Architecture Ltd
• who I am
• an introduction to CMPs and HIAs (the mechanics)
• a case study using No 1 Smithery, Chatham Historic
Dockyard (with illustrations)
• lessons leant – what makes a good CMP?
OUTLINE OF TALK
This talk
• Architect and Director of Caroe Architecture Ltd
• has commissioned, written CMPs and responded to
other people’s CMPs over a period of 20 years
• with Inskip & Jenkins Architects – Battersea Power
Station
• with vHH Architects – Corfield Court, Cambridge,
Market Hall, Bolton, New Lodge, Windsor and No 1
Smithery – subject of the case study
• with Caroe Architecture Ltd – Nymans (with CAR), St
Mary’s, Oxford
PETER RAWLINGS
Who I am – an architect’s perspective
• Heritage has value and meaning – it enriches our lives
• Often quite complex – need to be teased out
• Dynamic and changing – a moment in time
• Value can range from local to international
importance
• Statutory designations are helpful (listing, scheduled
ancient monument etc)
• but there are places of local interest and group
interest that may not be designated
INTRODUCTION
What is significance?
Different types of significance can be identified (taken
from EH Conservation Principles):
• Evidential – physical evidence of past human activity
• Historic – illustrative value and / or associative value
• Aesthetic – architectural and artistic merit
• Communal – social and/or symbolic meaning to the
community
INTRODUCTION
How is it judged?
• A formal and well established way of describing and
revealing the significance of a site, building or place
• Briefer versions can be called Conservation Statements
• Allows us to identify where the value lies in an
informed way – gives us a common understanding of
the “heritage asset” to be conserved
• Forms a sound basis against which any proposals for
change can be assessed
• Looks forward to future management
INTRODUCTION
What is a conservation management plan?
• Usually forms part of a Design and Access Statement
• The “counterpart”: a formal response to a
conservation management plan or statement
• Justifies each aspect of an architectural proposal
against the guidance and policies set out in the CMP
INTRODUCTION
What is a heritage impact assessment?
• understand the site – gathering of knowledge
• assess significance – exploring the value of the parts
and the whole
• assess vulnerability – conflicts, pressures, opportunities,
risk
• set out policies that retain significance
• use a gazetteer for relevant information
• keep it simple, informative, clear and readable
INTRODUCTION
What should a conservation management plan
include?
• appreciate the value of the site, building , place
• explain the overall motivation for change
• assess impact overall (context, views)
• justify loss or adaptation to the fabric
• explain mitigation of loss
• demonstrate benefit of the design strategy
INTRODUCTION
What should a heritage impact assessment
include?
• Conservation Management Planning – Heritage
Lottery Fund
• Conservation Principles – policies and guidance –
English Heritage
• Planning Policy Statement 5 – Planning for the
Historic Environment
• The Conservation Management Plan – James Semple
Kerr
• Kate Clark – various publications for English Heritage
• Ask your local authority conservation officer
INTRODUCTION
Where can I find our more?
Site: Chatham Historic Dockyard, Kent
Client: CHD Trust with NMM & IWM
CMP written by: CHDT
Project period: 2003 -2010
Design Team : vHH, PMT, MFP, P&M, Land,
Appleyards
Funding: HLF, SEEDA, English Heritage
Awards: RIBA award (2011)
NO 1 SMITHERY
A case study: No 1 Smithery
• desktop archaeological studies
• visual inspections and surveys
• intrusive inspections (trial pits, paint sampling,
asbestos)
• historical primary and secondary sources
• discussion with community
• discussion with statutory authorities
• put into context (site has 100 listed buildings, 47
are Scheduled Ancient Monuments)
NO 1 SMITHERY
Understand the site
Historic Dockyard Conservation Area
Scheduled Ancient Monument
Grade 2 * listed
NO 1 SMITHERY
Assess the significance - designation
Occupying a central position at the heart of the Historic
Dockyard the Smithery is an important metal working
building with considerable local, regional and national
significance.
The Smithery played an important part in the
mechanisation of the Royal Dockyards during the
Napoleonic Wars and in the subsequent transition from the
timber-hulled sail powered warship to the iron hulled
steam powered warship. It has important associations
with people and ships, in particular Edward Holl, and
HMSAchilles.Today the Smithery is one of only a small
number of industrial scale metal working facilities to
survive in Britain
NO 1 SMITHERY
Assess the significance - summary
No 1 Smithery is in a state of considerable decay and at
risk. Roof coverings failed during the last years of naval
ownership and the fabric of the building has suffered
accordingly. Securing an appropriate new use with
funding for the building’s restoration together with a
sustainable long-term future for the building is one of
the Trust’s highest priorities for the period of this
Conservation Plan.
NO 1 SMITHERY
Policy – on change of use
If any deep excavations are to be carried out, particularly
in the area of the building founded on the chalk, it should
be recognised that the potential for finding early remains
exists.
It is unlikely that any significant buried archaeology will
have survived (from earlier phases of the dockyard) –
although saw pits identified.
Below ground structures related to the Smithery itself and
its uses are definitely known to exist – identified from
various trial pits and desktop studies.
NO 1 SMITHERY
Policy – archaeology summary
• approach to restoring fabric of walls and roof
• approach to adaptation and alterations
• an approach to fixtures and fittings
NO 1 SMITHERY
Other policies
• restore the building and give it a viable and
sustainable future, make it accessible and
appreciable to the public
• provide a national museum standard touring
exhibition space
• provide a permanent exhibition space telling the
story of the dockyard and associated collections
• provide an accessible store for ship model
collections from the National Maritime Museum
NO 1 SMITHERY
Introducing the design brief
• looking at key policies
• how the proposals address the policies
• how the design strategy responds to conservation
principles
NO 1 SMITHERY
A heritage impact assessment
Policy 33.1 accepts that adaptation of the structure for an
appropriate re-use is accepted and indeed is essential to
securing the long-term future of this important structure.
Whilst all such interventions should respect the
Smithery’s history and significance it is also accepted that
some compromise may be necessary in this respect.
NO 1 SMITHERY
Policy – on adaptation & alteration
• touching the existing building lightly (as possible)
• reversibility
• reuse of existing openings for circulation and
services
• removal of fabric on an informed basis
• allowing the best of the building to speak
NO 1 SMITHERY
General design principles
• new structure independent to existing
• can meet stringent museum requirements with
excess adaptation of existing building envelope
• forms a horse shoe of space around central
courtyard – recalls first stage of building history
• volumetric character of large spaces not lost
• simple new finishes act as a foil to rich industrial
patina
NO 1 SMITHERY
The box within the box principle
Internally significant issues will need to be addressed,
particularly relating to contamination. The original dirt
floor is known to be contaminated with asbestos and
potentially other contaminants. Preservation of the
present flooring material is therefore considered
impracticable.
NO 1 SMITHERY
Policy – on internal restoration
• soil samples for contamination
• trial holes to establish below ground structures
• test bore holes to establish ground conditions
• surveys to establish topography and critical heights
• flood risk assessment to establish base level
•Levels analysis to demonstrate loss of fabric
NO 1 SMITHERY
Treatment of floor - methodology
Restoration of the structure poses a number of
challenges. Although the building is in an advanced state
of decay most of the elements remain in an identifiable
form and are relatively ‘complete’. It is therefore
thought that an appropriate restoration strategy
should be to return the building externally to the form
following the last major intervention – ie the period
1943 – 1974. This strategy will however need to be
tested and if necessary modified during the design
process.
NO 1 SMITHERY
Policy – on restoration
• conditions survey of structure and fabric
• retain the patina of history wherever possible
• repair rather than replace where possible
• restore where elements lost
• strip back where unsafe – asbestos / projections
• re-use existing openings for circulation and services
• let new services show (but in a visually modest
way)
NO 1 SMITHERY
Treatment of walls & roof - principles
The Smithery contains a number of examples of fixed
industrial equipment such as small forges, wall cranes
and bending slab/furnaces. These should be retained in
situ where possible. Key items in this respect include the
small forges dating from c 1860 adjacent to the west wall
of Holl’s original
building;
wall mounted
cranes around
surveys
to establish
topography
the main Holland
structure
the 1869 Slab shop. Should it
criticaland
heights
not prove feasible to retain other examples of forges and
fixtures then appropriate record drawings and
photographs should be taken to document their position.
If appropriate typographical examples of items not
retained elsewhere in the building should be taken into
the Trust’s museum collections and stored elsewhere on
site.
NO 1 SMITHERY
Policy – on fixtures & fittings
• identify and record
• retain selectively and generally without
redecoration
• pipe bending floor cleaned and filled with sand
• hand forges retained in original position
• wall mounted cranes folded back against walls
• large wall brackets retained
• selective losses where inevitable and by
agreement with English Heritage
NO 1 SMITHERY
Treatment of artefacts - principles
• Don’t forget to talk – dialogue is key
• CMPs and HIAs are tools only, but useful ones
• allow decisions to be made from an informed basis
• keep them relevant and informative
• specific but not too prescriptive
• don’t forget the bigger picture – a good design brief is
just as important as a good CMP!
CONCLUSION
Lessons learnt