Attending a conservation training course, personal account

1 “Every day’s a school day...”
2 My experience at the Royal Society of Ulster Architects Conservation Training Course
3 The other attendees
4 Reflection on the experience
5 Related articles on Designing Buildings Conservation.

[edit] “Every day’s a school day...”

A personal account of attending a Royal Society of Ulster Architects Conservation Training Course, written by Eamonn Cushnahan MCIAT, Director, Blackbird Architecture Ltd.

Early in 2024, I was appointed as Assigned Certifier on a Church Restoration & Extension scheme on the southern side of the Irish boarder. The scheme was at an advanced stage with the Planning Permission secured by the Lead Architect. Part of my role was providing comments on the drawings, in regard to compliance with the Republic of Ireland (RoI) Building Regulations. At the same time, I was on a journey learning about the world of traditional construction and the consequences of not recognising how its needs differ to those of modern construction.

We approached this review process, not to produce a snag list, but rather with a troubleshooting mentality. I had attended a CPD the previous year that discussed best practice for thermal upgrades and air tightness within historic buildings. The event was excellent and taught me that much of what was presented contradicted my outdated understanding of how to approach a Historic Building or tradition construction. The products, materials and systems presented were innovative, but came from a traditional,historic and scientific approach, and emphasised the importance of using suitable materials and proper hygrothermal analysis of the building fabric.

At Blackbird Architecture, we work on both sides of the Irish Boarder and are familiar with statutory processes and regulations in both jurisdictions. Our knowledge on work to Historic Buildings, on the other hand, was very limited. We had been involved with a few restoration projects in the past and been involved with several ecclesiastical new builds, but not Historic Buildings of this calibre.

[edit] My experience at the Royal Society of Ulster Architects Conservation Training Course

A supplier in the sector encouraged me to reach out to Des Cairns FCIAT, who is a CIAT Accredited Conservationist, and a trustee of The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC), amongst other achievements. I sent Des an email late on a Monday night and he called me the very next day. He encouraged me to start on the path towards becoming a CIAT Accredited Conservation and mapped out the process for me, following up with an email with helpful links. The first step was to complete the RSUA’s Conservation Training Course, which I signed up for straight away.

The course was one day a week for five weeks and was hosted by the retired Conservation Architect Marcus Patton OBE. The course location was at a historic building in Belfast called Clifton House, which is some 250 years old, originally built as a Poorhouse, and is Belfast’s oldest working building – a fitting location for the subject matter.

Attending the course was like being inside a live documentary with some of the most interesting and eccentric speakers you could imagine, with such specific expertise and experience in their very niche areas of work. A different module was covered each day, typically including three speakers each day, making the whole thing feel very fast moving. They covered their subject areas with the use of real case studies, and the buildings and structures which they referred to were well known to all – such as Parliament Building’s Stormont, Albert Memorial Clock, The Guildhall Derry, Queens University Belfast (QUB)’s Lanyon Building, and Lynn Library at QUB.The imagery was beautiful and engaging. The survey methods were unconventional (such as abseiling!), the presentations were engaging and interactive,and discussion was always promoted by Marcus.

The professional language was always inclusive, which was very refreshing, especially considering this was an event organised by Architects for Architects. To be fair the RSUA’s website says that the course is “aimed at architects and related professionals working in the fields of conservations, refurbishment and restoration” and goes on to say “but will be of equal benefit to technologists,planners and surveyors involved in conservation work”. It was very refreshing to hear every speaker refer to Architectural Technologists specifically and more often used the umbrella title of Conservation Professional. Surprisingly, the term Conservation Architect was sparsely used.

[edit] The other attendees

The course attendees were mostly architects or Part 1 or Part 2 Architectural Assistants. There were, however, a few Planners and Surveyors. I was the only AT in attendance and felt very welcome and comfortable. Two of the most interesting presentations were from a Conservation Engineer and Geologist. This is a sentence I never thought I would dedicate to writing! The case studies these gentlemen used were incredible. The Geologist was scanning the Marble Arch Caves one minute and a Church in Boston the next. The technology that he was using was impressive, and the drawings and 3D models it was producing were beautiful. Each case study location was more exotic than the last and the methods and equipment on each job seemed otherworldly.

The Structural Engineer’s approach was unconventional and bespoke. His company had a contract with the Grand Opera House in Belfast. They were engaged to assess the thousands of plaster wad ties which support the ornate suspended ceiling in the main historic auditorium. There had been an instance in Britain where the combination of time, humidity and vibration in this type of building had contributed to large sections of the ceiling falling on the audience during a performance. The engineer produced detail drawing of the existing support system, which was very complex, and identified each individual wadding tie with a physical tag,recording this on a drawing.This allowed for each wadding tie to be assessed, and a report produced, which then allowed for the identification of those that required remedial work.

[edit] Reflection on the experience

This course provided me with confidence and underpinned my knowledge, allowing me to explain and enforce my comments on the proposed specifications on the Historic Church. I was able to refer to guidance and various publications to give grounds for my initial comments and convince the Lead Architect to use the alternative systems and materials I suggested.

Several months before I got involved in conservation and attended this course, I had joined my local CIAT Regional Committee. In addition, I have built connections in the neighbouring Committee in the Republic of Ireland Centre. To give a little context, I’m no spring chicken. I graduated from my degree some 18 years ago, became Chartered with CIAT some 15 years ago, I taught for some time in further education, and I’ve been a Director of my own architectural practice for 8 years. I suppose what I’m trying to say as I’m not green behind the ears, but this is a whole side of the industry I found to be totally enlightening.

As those who have operated in this field for a while will know, there is always something new to learn, for me that’s what keeps it interesting. It can be liberating to allow ourselves to always be a work in progress. It is only when we accept that that we benefit most from the fresh eyes of a friendly critic, be that a mentor, an expert outside our own profession such as Declan Loane and the Ecological Building Systems Team, or a network of peers in our own field.

I commend the RSUA conservation course or an equivalent near you. As I’ve said, every day’s a school day...

This article appears in the AT JOurnal issue 152 Winter 2024 as '“Every day’s a school day...” My experience at the RSUA Conservation Training Course' and was written by Eamonn Cushnahan MCIAT, Director, Blackbird Architecture Ltd. Images by Des Cairns FCIAT.

--CIAT