Undertaking historic building surveys — An effective approach

Abstract

There is a growing difference of opinion as to what an historic building survey should comprise. This disagreement exists largely between those surveyors who have traditionally measured and drawn buildings and sites as just a surveying job and those who have an understanding of heritage structures and sites. It is a gap that is widening because of the increasing level of information that is being requested by local authority planning conservation staff and archaeologists. Similarly, more information is being requested as part of the planning process, either to record buildings that are about to be altered or as part of the pre-planning negotiation discussions; this generally requires a higher level of analysed and integrated information to be provided than has been asked for in the past. Meeting these new demands requires additional skills and abilities from the person carrying out the survey. It is not just collecting site information but collating historical background information as well. While this additional work may necessitate increased fees, if carried out at the appropriate time, interpreted and used correctly, it can produce cost savings across the construction project.