Our Built Heritage

“For us, conservation is the incredibly careful management of change” Kelly O’Driscoll, Blenheim Palace. In this episode I am joined by Kelly O’Driscoll, Head ofBuilt Heritage at Blenheim Palace. Kelly’s work involves creating, programming and delivering Blenheim Palace’s Conservation Strategy which involves looking after the estate and making sure the 1m visitors each year have a quality experience in spite of the restoration programme that is happening all around them. Visitors are encouraged to join the journey with a “No apology for the scaffold” approach. You can’t have one without the other and Kelly is an obsessive champion of craft and conservation skills- architects, structural engineers and artisans. We talk about how Kelly’s journey from being an Architectand working with hospitals, schools, universities and historical buildings led to her being the Architect for an island. The work she undertook was challenging and incredibly sensitive in nature prior to joining the team at Blenheim Palace. We chat about the importance of communication and having adetailed project plan that factors in all the different priorities for the building and generating income to help care for it. Working to a longer term 15-yearplan means consideration is given to the future rather than being focused onlyon the present. Kelly explains how work is assessed and the information that is gathered to inform decisions.  Kelly shares her thoughts on restoration, conservation,preservation and repair and how these words do and don’t apply to the work they undertake at Blenheim Palace from roof repairs, replacing guttering and the orangery roof.  We also discuss the usual challenges, common themes andmisconceptions working in the heritage sector along with top tips when working with an older property.  It will be an interesting listen for anyone embarking on aproject and is looking for some guidance and anyone generally interested in older properties.  If you liked what you heard it would be great if you canshare Our Built Heritage with anyone else, you think will find it interesting and also subscribe so that you know when the next episode has been released. It would be amazing if we between us can raise awareness on our built heritage.

In this episode I am joined by Hannah Pallubinsky, Assistant Professor at Maastricht University where she co-leads the Thermoregulation and Metabolism research group. Hannah’s research focuses on how environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and air quality impact human physiology, health, and well-being. With particularly interest in how our bodies respond to indoor and outdoor environments, and how we can design healthier living and working spaces in the face of climate change. Hannah talks about how her research has influenced her views on the built environment and the relationship humans have with buildings and how the indoor environment influences our health plus the role old buildings play given the number that are in existence. Old buildings were designed to fit the needs of occupants and as designs have changed how much is considered about the health of the occupants’ vs the buildings aesthetics?We chat about the complications that mechanical ventilationcan have on a person if it were to fail. The impact an environment can have on your health and if we are not exposed to any variation in temperature it can result in a body not performing as it should and our bodies often get lazy. Biologically we are comfort seekers! Hannah shares how the research can feed into the builtindoor environment and make buildings more resilient for the future.  We also discuss the usual challenges, common themes andmisconceptions working in the heritage sector along with top tips when working with an older property. It will be an interesting listen for anyone embarking on aproject and is looking for some guidance and anyone generally interested in older properties. If you liked what you heard it would be great if you canshare Our Built Heritage with anyone else you think will find it interesting and also subscribe so that you know when the next episode has been released. It would be amazing if we between us can raise awareness onour built heritage.

In this episode I am joined by Mairi Claire Bowser, a Dundeeborn Production Buyer, currently based in the South of England. Mairi Claire has worked in the Film and TV industries across the UK since 2011, and has been actively engaged with, and has helped to lead movements for, environmentaljustice in relation to the screen sector since then. Mairi Claire shares her journey into film and TV productionand how the magic happens but also what does and doesn’t happen to props and set components and the challenges they face. We talk about sustainability and the carbon impact but alsothe social side and human equality aspects and how all these factors need to be a driving force in decision making. Mairi Claire talks about what it’s like to own a wikka mudhouse and the complexities and joy of owning such a unique property. We also discuss the usual challenges, common themes andmisconceptions working in the heritage sector along with top tips when working with an older property. It will be an interesting listen for anyone embarking on aproject and is looking for some guidance and anyone generally interested in older properties. If you liked what you heard it would be great if you canshare Our Built Heritage with anyone else you think will find it interesting and also subscribe so that you know when the next episode has been released. It would be amazing if we between us can raise awareness onour built heritage.Link to the map Mairi Claire mentioned  Natural, Historic, Alternative & Sustainable Building& Renovation in the UK Resource Maphttps://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1K3066GOUPYDTIACOU784arzJYhVnfI0&usp=sharing Material Redistribution Map for the U.K Film & TVIndustrieshttps://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1U1gKn0ewMoy96HKB8xMdSulJxEuJO3E&usp=sharingc https://www.mcbowser.com/

In this episode I am joined by Ellora Coupe Founder of HerRetrofit Space and Her Own Space, two interconnected member platforms empowering women to lead the UK’s home retrofit revolution. Ellora shares her journey from interior architecture andexposure to building sites at a young age thanks to her father. We talk about how she works with a client and the importance of understanding the client and what they need from their space to ensure the right solution is achieved whichmay mean reconfiguring a space rather than adding an extension. We also talk about seeing properties differently with more of a car mindset then how we often see a property which can be to its detriment. We chat about what you might consider when you areretrofitting a property and how misleading that word is. We also discuss the usual challenges, common themes andmisconceptions working in the heritage sector along with top tips when working with an older property. It will be an interesting listen for anyone embarking on aproject and is looking for some guidance and anyone generally interested in older properties. If you liked what you heard it would be great if you canshare Our Built Heritage with anyone else you think will find it interesting and also subscribe so that you know when the next episode has been released. It would be amazing if we between us can raise awareness onour built heritage.

In this episode I am joined by John Hall, Director at Remedial Repair & Restoration where they help clients to seamlessly blend old and new brickwork whilst also offering restorationservices on all types and ages of properties. John shares where his interest in bricks came from and thejourney he went on which led him to starting his specialist business which includes supply and restoration of historic bricks including brick matching and paint removal. We talk about some of the projects he has worked on. We discuss the tinting process and how bespoke it is whichuses the porous properties of the bricks to achieve the results to ensure the colour is right for the building and the setting. FYI it is not painting bricks! John shares his thoughts on ivy, air bricks and letting abuilding breathe and how quickly stone can decay if it has a crack in it. We also discuss the usual challenges, common themes andmisconceptions working in the heritage sector along with top tips when working with an older property. It will be an interesting listen for anyone embarking on aproject and is looking for some guidance and anyone generally interested in older properties. If you liked what you heard it would be great if you canshare Our Built Heritage with anyone else you think will find it interesting and also subscribe so that you know when the next episode has been released. It would be amazing if we between us can raise awareness onour built heritage.