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Ecclesistical & Heritage World No.98

Chris Topp is the latest member of INTBAU

The INTBAU College of Traditional Practitioners is an elite international professional body for practitioners in traditional urban design, architecture and the building arts who have a sustained output of traditional work.

Membership is limited to practitioners of the highest standard in the academic, professional, artistic, trade, craft and practical activities concerned with building, architecture and urbanism that support the objectives of INTBAU.

Read more: Chris Topp is the latest member of INTBAU

Traditional building skills brought to Scottish Parliament

On the 18th March, in the Garden Lobby of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, a number of demonstrations took place to show off traditional building skills and materials. The evening event featured roofing skills demos which were undertaken by Lewis Miller of Compass Roofing Ltd, with slates kindly supplied by SIG Roofing, both companies are members of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors.

The event was sponsored by Nigel Don MSP (Convenor of Cross Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Construction) and attended by Fiona Hyslop MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs), Paul Wheelhouse MSP (Minister for Environment and Climate Change) and a further 16 MSPs. All MSPs visited the roofing stand and spent a considerable time talking to Lewis about the skills and materials for traditional roofing slating in Scotland.

Read more: Traditional building skills brought to Scottish Parliament

Full sound and visual system for Somerton St Michael and All Angels Church

The church of St Michael and All Angels is reputed to be an abbey church, and has existed adjacent to the market square in the old county town of Somerton, since circa 1100. So it was doubtless with some trepidation, that the PCC embarked on a major refurbishment for the church interior.

This involved replacing the floor and heating systems, rewiring and roof cleaning, a glass partition door for the south transept and a comprehensive sound system with video distribution to facilitate more flexible use of the building. API Communications were contracted to provide a full sound and visual system to meet all needs of the church.

Read more: Full sound and visual system for Somerton St Michael and All Angels Church

Reworking of an A-Listed Georgian jewel

imgSmith & Garratt were delighted to be selected as surveyors to coordinate works at Bughtrig near Coldstream, home to the Ramsay family. This A-Listed house, built around 1785 and several times extended, was last reworked at the turn of the 20th century. Art entrepreneur William, succeeding his father, Major General Charles Ramsay, chose to address structural defects, remodel interiors and upgrade heating services and fittings to make a sustainable family home that will endure without major cost for many years.

Read more: Reworking of an A-Listed Georgian jewel

Online rainwater system supplier offers substantial discounts off cast iron

Don’t miss Rainclear Systems’ offer on cast iron rainwater products over the month of March. The Wiltshire based online retailer, the UK’s largest stockist and distributor of metal rainwater products, is offering a significant 11% extra off all online orders of cast iron guttering, downpipes and fittings during the month.

The company is well known for its vast and unrivalled stock of cast iron products and the team’s ability to offer great technical support, fast quotation turnaround and knowledgeable assistance when matching unusual items.

Read more: Online rainwater system supplier offers substantial discounts off cast iron

Remote module detects water and issues alerts via Cloud technology

Using cloud and satellite technology a remote Thermocable module can detect escaping water and immediately alert clients via a mobile device or building management centre.

Designed to protect property, possessions and items of high nett asset value, the system is ideal for use in art or sculpture galleries, museums, historic buildings or vacant commercial or residential properties.

Read more: Remote module detects water and issues alerts via Cloud technology

Chester Cathedral - opening of Cathedral at Height visitor attraction

Are you ready to discover the secrets of the tower? In Spring 2014, Chester Cathedral will be inviting visitors to take a 900 year journey through locked doors and hidden rooms. Cathedral at Height, a new visitor attraction for Chester, has something for everyone - breathtaking views, medieval mysteries, ancient bells and a defeated king.

The Cathedral at Height attraction will allow visitors to take a guided tour of some of the cathedral’s ‘secret spaces’, includin g the old bell ringing chamber and the shallow arched galleries above the Nave. The tour includes 216 steps and a series of winding spiral staircases and takes in a breathtaking view of the interior of the building from the east gallery. It culminates at the top of the cathedral’s central tower with an open air panorama that reveals one city, two nations and five counties.

Read more: Chester Cathedral - opening of Cathedral at Height visitor attraction

Wallasey Jubilee Centre gets new heating system

The Jubilee Centre contacted church heating specialists HeatinGlobal Ltd to undertake the task of replacing the whole church heating system. The current church heating system had high running cost and was taking almost 24hrs to heat the church.

The current church boilers were past their time and a more energy efficient system was chosen to heat the church. The church currently had old cast iron radiators that were slow to warm up and once they had reached temperature they had a tendency to burn the children in church.

Read more: Wallasey Jubilee Centre gets new heating system

Elgan Jones awarded prestigious historic buildings Scholarship

imgArchitect Elgan Jones from Purcell has been awarded this year’s Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) Lethaby Scholarship. The 27-year-old is one of just three building professionals selected from applicants across the UK to be awarded this prestigious scholarship.

The SPAB Lethaby Scholarship aims to provide young architects, surveyors and engineers with both technical experience and a philosophical approach to the repair of old buildings. The intensive nine month Scholarship programme is considered by many in the field to be the best form of conservation training available. The first six months are spent travelling all over the country to observe traditional building techniques and visit structures of every age, size and style from cathedrals to garden grottoes. The programme is very hands-on allowing Scholars the opportunity to try out specialist craftwork such as timber framing, masonry, lime pointing and blacksmithing. The final three months allow the Scholars to develop their personal interests in the crafts and allied arts associated with the UK’s great country houses.

Read more: Elgan Jones awarded prestigious historic buildings Scholarship

National Mining Memorial Centre shortlisted for two awards

A new memorial centre to commemorate the sacrifices made by those involved in Scotland’s coal mining industry is shortlisted for two design awards. The project, completed by Purcell’s Edinburgh studio, is in the running for a Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) Award as well as an Edinburgh Architectural Association (EAA) Award in the Small Projects category.

The National Mining Memorial Centre at the National Mining Museum Scotland is located just nine miles from Edinburgh at the Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange.

Read more: National Mining Memorial Centre shortlisted for two awards

The Clink Restaurant opens at HMP Brixton

A Grade II listed building at Brixton Prison has been converted into a high end restaurant run by some of its prisoners. Architects Purcell secured planning and listed building consent for the scheme last year and the newly refurbished building officially opened to the public on 27th February 2014.

The new Clink restaurant is situated in the centre of Brixton prison in the Grade II listed former Governors House. The three-story building has been fully refurbished and its ground floor now accommodates a 100 seat restaurant linked to a new professional kitchen in an adjacent building, a private dining area seating up to 24 guests and a meeting room for up to 10 delegates.

Read more: The Clink Restaurant opens at HMP Brixton

Dernier & Hamlyn develops homegrown LED solution for new British brasserie

The recently opened Holborn Dining Room at Rosewood London offers a menu of British classics with a twist. Its lighting, which was manufactured by Dernier & Hamlyn, complements this philosophy with six eye catching blackened steel oval chandeliers, some 7m long. However their simple lines are not only a discreet hiding place for the emergency lighting that has been fitted to the light fittings’ cross section bars, they are also housing 500 120mm LED globe lamps custom made to meet the exacting aesthetic and energy usage brief from the restaurant’s designers Martin Brudnizki Design Studio.

Due to the size of the chandeliers they each have a sub frame adding to the complexity of the manufacturing process which required mixed construction methods incorporating both laser cutting and making sections by hand.

Read more: Dernier & Hamlyn develops homegrown LED solution for new British brasserie

Case study: Wray Castle, Cumbria

imgThe company was commissioned by Historic Property Restoration Limited (HPR) which, itself, was commissioned by The National Trust, owners of the magnificent property, in conjunction with the architect to improve & protect the external fabric of the castle.

Their objectives were to refurbish the external roof areas to the castle particularly focusing on areas of water ingress, various parapets & stone projections.

To replace and update the lead on the roof of the roof of the castle and encapsulating the stone slate, so that it complemented the fabric of the building.

Read more: Case study: Wray Castle, Cumbria

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