“Repair....” “Restoration...” “Conservation...” What do these emotively used words mean?

Philosophy, process and principle: an all embracing introduction to conservation, a taster for more detailed talks on specific elements of conservation with illustrations through all aspects of conservation, the traditional trades and materials

Ian Constantinides will discuss these terms and differentiate between the three. He will talk through the thought and decision-making processes that can lead to the adoption of radically different approaches, often in similar circumstances, and will offer guidance on what works well where and what does not. The speaker has a particular interest in aesthetics and will argue that all repairs must please visually and intellectually and perform functionally.

This seminar will focus on some of the main issues surrounding conservation, discuss aspects of all materials and show how many conservation philosophies are developed, using a wide range of well illustrated examples on buildings great and grand, ecclesiastical, as well as the secular or vernacular.

Reference will also be made to costs, programme and pragmatism within the ethics of conservation. Does conservation need to be expensive? What is the relative cost difference between various approaches? What techniques are available to the conservator/mason, the cob, wattle and dauber, the joiner, the wetworker, the metalworker or the roofer and indeed to the specifier? And what works well where? And how long does it work for?

The intention of the seminar is to explain all the weaponry in the conservator’s arsenal, discuss their pros and cons, and demonstrate their appropriate or inappropriate use. It questions the idea of dogma, or that “there is only one way to do it, and that is the right way” and shows pretty conclusively that there is “no one right way to do it”. A rational and pragmatic approach may only be arrived at by learning to “listen” to the fabric of the building and “understanding” what the building needs...

Speaker: Ian Constantinides formerly of St Blaise Ltd, one of the country’s most important conservation firms, now works as a freelance consultant. He advises on all aspects of historic building repair and conservation and writes intensely pragmatic Specifications and Bills of Quantities for specialised elements of work, often for inclusion in the documentation of fellow professionals… He is especially interested in value for money and demonstrating that “Good conservation saves money as well as ancient fabric”. He has worked extensively in Kabul for the Turquoise Mountain Foundation, speaks on subjects related to historic building repair and conservation and lectures regularly for the RICS, the RIBA, the IAAS at York University, the SPAB, the Georgian Group and various universities offering post grad courses in building conservation. His talks amuse, challenge, question, provoke and above all, inform and educate.

CPD record: 3 hours of formal CPD

CPD Core Curriculum: Construction Skills; Specification Writing and Choosing Materials