The practice’s work on the rehabilitation of nineteenth and early twentieth century tenements has proven to be an invaluable grounding for conservation projects. MAST’s approach of carrying out methodical surveys to give a clear understanding of the historic structures is a common starting point for work on older buildings.
Increasingly a Conservation Plan is prepared at the outset of projects which gathers together information from archives and other sources but also defines the historic importance of the building and key elements of the original design.
A further important component in a conservation project is the preparation of detailed drawings and the specification of historic materials. This may involve research in order to source components and materials that are the same, or as close as possible, to those originally used in the building. At the same time the architect must not assume that the original designer was always correct, if deep seated building defects are to be solved.
The final element in a successful historic project is the selection of a suitable contractor and the relationship that develops between architect and trades people to achieve the highest standards of workmanship.