Extreme Conservation

[Gareth Hughes]

I rather like it
https://www.dezeen.com/2017/10/13/c...sion-studio-house-ruins-18th-century-cottage/

"The strategy was not to renovate or repair the 300-year-old listed building, but to preserve it perfectly," explained Connor and Darby. "This would include the rotten timbers, the dead ivy, the old birds nests, the cobwebs and the existing dust."

"The ruin would be protected from the elements within a new high performance outer envelope. This means that in most places there would be two walls, two windows and two roofs, old and new."

 

[Abi Cott]

I'm not sure. I grant it is a perfect example of the conservation vs restoration quandary taken to it's extreme, but whilst the occupiers get to enjoy the structure all everyone else gets to see is a black shed.

 

[Flyfisher]

While I'm sure that the architects who designed this approach are very pleased with it themselves, and the publicity it will no doubt gain for them, I'd say the acid test will be if they can find anyone else who would be prepared to buy it and live in it.

As for conserving all the cobwebs and dust, I might humbly suggest that we pioneered that concept many years ago. Still, they say imitation is the best form of flattery :wink:

 

[MikeG]

Bloody stupid nonsense. They'll win some minor prize or other, no doubt, and move on, leaving someone else to come along and pull the tin shed down and fix the old place up properly.

 

[plasticpigeon]

Easier than restoration without ruining anything. Why not!

 

[88v8]

Mmmm OK, I can go with that. Clever.

Not that I like it. It has overtones of 'white space' which I detest. But if the ruin were restored there wouldn't be a lot of the original left anyway, all the surface finishes would be new, and a lot of the structure. It seems difficult to restore a place so it's suitably wonky - some say that when new everything was flat and the wonkiness we see now is a product of age - as I look around me now at wavy wattle that may be a couple of hundred years old and timbers that never were straight, I can tell you it ain't so.
If I think of Historic cars, which I do, there has to be a high percentage of the original to qualify as Historic. On that basis, if this cottage were restored I'm not sure it would make the grade.

Do recall at River Cottage, there's one of the buildings has a new window grafted in front of an old one.

So if it comes to a house that's more of a ruin, I can go with this notion. But it will indeed take a particular person to buy it and live with the cobwebs and the uncleanabilty.

Ivor

 

[Zebra]

Bizarre and completely impractical! Perhaps a slightly less severe approach, removing the dead ivy for a start, would result in a much more liveable space. I can't imagine anyone would put up with living in it like that for long.

 

[Flyfisher]

Exactly. There's a big difference between the academic, museum-like preservation of an old building and the creation of a 'character' property that someone is prepared to actually live in and therefore maintain for future generations to enjoy.

I suspect MikeG is right about someone eventually reworking the whole thing. Time is the true arbiter of such things and it will be interesting to revisit it in five or ten years from now and see how well it has really been preserved.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

While I'm sure that the architects who designed this approach are very pleased with it themselves, and the publicity it will no doubt gain for them, I'd say the acid test will be if they can find anyone else who would be prepared to buy it and live in it.

Well, they've done it for their own use, so the issue doesn't arise, yet.

 

[Flyfisher]

Indeed. But it will.

 

[LadyArowana]

“The layout is intended to allow for easily adaption later into a house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.” Hmmmmmm, once they have all the awards in the bag no doubt.

 

[DJH]

There might well be original cobwebs and detritus but there has also been an amount of intervention in the fabric with the addition of what looks to be iron railing, electric socket outlets, a wood burner in the original fireplace, new flooring and what looks like a plasterboard ceiling complete with down lighters in the kitchen!

All the above I imagine, required some alteration or interference with the building thus not preserving it perfectly

Ever the pedant... 8)

Doug

PS Greetings Lady A...