Roger Hunt - New Design for Old Buildings

The UK has strict laws which protect historic buildings, areas, sites and landscapes, and it is in your interest to adhere to these. Before beginning any work of repair, alteration or development to a building, any structures within its grounds or the site on which it stands, it is essential to check with the local planning authority whether any consent will be needed. In the case of all listed buildings, remember that the interior as well as the exterior is protected and that the listing may extend to ancillary structures within the curtilage of the main building.

New design for old buildings must be seen as just one phase in a long timeline spanning decades, even centuries., and succeeds when the relationship between new and old is well understood and skilfully managed. Good new design requires a deep understanding of what has gone before, as well as a vision of how the new and old parts will perform together long into the future. In this book, we have followed the SPAB principle that good new architecture can sit happily alongside old and is preferable to poor pastiche; our aim is to provide an insight into the factors and considerations that go towards making a successful scheme.

Many examples of new design in old buildings have been chronicled and celebrated in recent years, often featuring projects from North America and Europe. In this book, we focus solely on buildings from within the UK, and our research has revealed a rich supply of exemplary schemes, both large and small, as well as countless designers and craftspeople who demonstrate a thoughtful and creative approach. By its nature, it is not an exhaustive study, and there are many good projects which space has precluded us from mentioning.

Buildings result from collaborative effort and a creative vision shared between a number of people. Much of our focus is on the architects and designers who provide the vital narrative of imaginative thinking and execution. Architects understand that design is an overarching process that provides both a solution to an entire building brief and deals with more specific smallscale issues of detailing. We do not presume to set out in depth the processes of design nor the specifics of what design is.

We have attempted to present the best philosophical and practical thinking on the subject. The old buildings featured in this book date from the medieval period to the second half of the twentieth century, where the same issues and problems are found. Rather than analysing a select few case studies, we have drawn from a larger sample and looked at more than one hundred buildings; some appearing once within the book, others numerous times. In some cases the element of new work we have chosen may stand out as exemplary over other lessinformed work within the same scheme. A selection of featured buildings follows this preface.