Traditional Building Retrofit – Health-warning required? The Midlands HeritageSkillsHUB An Information Portal & Promoter of Traditional Craft Skills

HeritageSkillsHUB Connects people, projects & initiatives and seeks to highlight the importance of traditional building skills in a modern, low carbon, sustainable environment

Retrofit – What does it mean to you? Insulating a building? Installing Renewable Energy Systems?

Solid wall construction - It’s all about movement of moisture & ventillation Diagram courtesy of Picketts Conservation Weblink to article: Old buildings work differently!

Letter to the Times ‘We are seriously concerned that the drive to promote the complete thermal upgrade of pre-1919 buildings, could be storing up expensive future problems for both building fabric and human health…’ Sent by SPAB, with signatories from, English Heritage, Historic Scotland National Trust, Kevin McCloud, Churches Conservation Trust, The Victorian Society & others

Some statistics (courtesy of NHTG 2008 Review) 5million pre 1919 buildings in England 500, 000 listed buildings Repair & Maintenance budget worth £4.7billion (2008) Lack of knowledge among stock-holders encourages inappropriate maintenance

Old Buildings- Breathability, Repair & Maintenance Rotting, Damp & Cold?

‘Old Buildings are nothing but trouble!’ Loss of knowledge on how they ‘work’ Lack of repair and maintenance Inappropriate materials used for ‘upgrade’, repair & maintenance Lack of skilled craftsmen Apparent high cost ‘Throw-away society’ Red tape (listing etc)

Assessment First! Buildings need to be examined to establish whether existing materials and usage are causing problems. Problems need to be fixed, prior to further intervention Possibility that more problems, particularly with moisture will develop through lack of understanding

Will a standardized approach take into consideration the different requirements for old, more complex buildings? Current data modelling software (eg WUFI) is not able to provide accurate information for solid walled buildings NOS for Energy Performance Inspectors – will certain buildings be outside the scope to achieve the qualification? Who will pick up those areas that standardised techniques can not assess and advise? Could this offer an opportunity for conservation building surveyors? A Standardised Approach to Insulation & Retrofit?

One size doesn’t fit all Are the insulation upgrades we are making – or plan to make – going to render a building either more energy efficient or have any other sustainable benefit ? Will the selection of insulation products include natural & ‘breathable’ Will Green Deal Funding allow for and ensure the most appropriate solution is used?

Causing Conflict? Retrofit, Conservation & Planning

Big players (eg B&Q) already driving agenda entry/1724/Money+isn'27t+the+only+motivator+for+energy+efficienc y+retrofits/

Ongoing Research – Be Informed SPAB Technical Day – October 18 th 2011 Newbury, Berks, £100 Bringing together current research from SPAB, English Heritage, Historic Scotland, & CAT. Looking at insitu U-values, actual real life air-tightness, air quality, moisture levels and energy usage. Modelling of upgraded buildings will be compared to theoretical modelling

Beware the Cowboys! Are we creating another perfect opportunity for disreputable companies to offer services and products that will severely damage our pre1919 building stock?

Uncomfortable Truths? 4 Main Hurdles The vested interests of manufacturers of non-appropriate materials and the possible toxicity of things like phenolic insulation Lifestyle changes required to make less intervention a realistic option The drive for energy performance at the cost of all else. Insulation being the first thing on most peoples minds Relatively high cost of 'natural' materials (but increased use will cut prices)

So before we really get going… “For thousands of people, regular maintenance has proved much cheaper than having to remove & replace mass-produced & unfixable features that are supposed to last forever, but merely lowered the property’s value after making it ugly for thirty or so disappointing years. Take Action Early Watch Out for Decay Keep it Original” Dr Jonathan Foyle, Chief Executive, World Monuments Fund Britain

Interesting reports, blogs & articles houses-The-importance-of-using-the-right-materials.html houses

Cathie Clarke HeritageSkillsHUB Coordinator