C O N T E X T 1 4 9 : M A Y 2 0 1 7 3 Heritage skills and services A working group of the Historic Environment Forum, led by CIfA (Chartered Institute for Archaeologists), has undertaken a research project to establish robust and reliable insight on present market conditions for suppliers of specialist heritage skills and services, including registered organisations and individual members of CIfA. The work was intended to establish how to stimulate informed demand for essential skills, recognising that creating demand may be an effective means of ensuring supply. Funded by Historic England, the research was conducted by Loud Marketing, led by Stephen O’Reilly, contracted through CIfA. It involved interviews with 38 respondents from professional, trade and craft bodies representing the supply side of the heritage skills landscape, and focus groups and depth interviews with 41 respondents representing different types of clients, including private homeowners. The research report, Market conditions for expert and specialist heritage skills and services 2017, concludes that clients appreciate the heritage assets in their care, and their responsibilities to them. The client landscape is complex: there is an appetite for independent and unbiased advice, but a lack of informed demand. Language does not help: many clients are confused and find little meaning in many heritage sector terms and phrases (including heritage sector and accreditation). Accreditation in some form is seen as a good thing, but clients are unaware of many schemes and are confused by others. They tend to find specialist suppliers based on previous contracts or by asking trusted contacts for a recommendation; searching websites is the next stage and the first stage where a recommendation is unavailable. The major factors affecting choice of supplier are previous work, a good personal connection, price, proximity and availability. Some clients then check references, recommendations, qualifications, memberships and accreditations, but the level of due diligence varies by client and project. In the report, Loud Marketing makes some recommendations to the Client Demand Task Group and Historic Environment Forum, relating to pan-sectoral collaboration to drive awareness and understanding among clients; education about the benefits of using specialist suppliers; and unbiased advice on sourcing suitably competent heritage practitioners. Walkable London David Harrison writes: The capitals of the UK and Czech Republic are both historic cities with architecture of the finest quality, but in Prague it is possible to enjoy the buildings, walking in car-free splendour fromWenceslas Square across the pedestrianised Charles Bridge to the medieval cathedral. London has equally magnificent structures, but how often do we linger to take delight in them? The Palace and the Abbey in the Westminster World Heritage Site, are divided by car-choked Abingdon Street, and have to be viewed from the roundabout which is Parliament Square. Motor traffic has priority at the successor to London’s renowned medieval bridge, and its north end is uncrossable because of guardrails. A new organisation, London Living Streets (the London branch of Living Streets), aims to encourage people to walk and enjoy public spaces, and to lobby for the creation of an environment where it is pleasant to do so. Its manifesto calls for the creation of a network of walking routes and public spaces across central London and beyond. A number of remarkable proposals already exist which could form part of the network. Covent Garden and the British Museum are a few minutes walk from each other, but they are separated by two large roads. Reduce the traffic, introduce clear signs and improve the streetscape, and the two places are joined. This link could be part of a north/south corridor from Euston/ King’s Cross to Gibbs’ St Mary le Strand and Chambers’ Somerset House. The distinguished church is currently marooned in a multi-lane highway. London Living Streets aims to assist pedestrians throughout London: redistributing road space to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport; road safety through Vision Zero; cleaner air through banning diesel vehicles; and reclaiming residential streets. New face for Appleton Tower Engineered stone has been used in a facade replacement scheme at the University of Edinburgh’s controversial Appleton Tower. Currently serving as part of the university’s School of Informatics, the modernist tower was designed by Alan Reiach, Eric Hall and Partners as part of the university’s George Square development in the 1960s. Opposition to the stark modernism of the George Square scheme was such that some of the proposed buildings were never constructed. Much of the building’s interior was refurbished in 2006. The latest scheme to upgrade it has involved complete renewal of its envelope, and the construction of an additional storey at roof level and a new entrance. Rather than replacing the building’s ceramic-tile-faced, precast concrete and aluminium frame glazed facades with a like-for-like system, LDN Architects, in consultation with Buro Happold Engineering, specified Shackerley’s SureClad engineered stone ventilated facade system. While tests to the concrete building envelope revealed that it was still structurally sound, it was coming to the end of its design life. The tiles have been removed and the precast concrete facades stripped out. On the north and south elevations, the concrete facade has been replaced by solid insulated panels that have been toggled into the new curtain wall, which is supported off the face of the existing concrete slab, and the windows have been replaced. On the east and west elevations, where there is little glazing, the facade has been infilled with insulated structural metal frame and board, which supports the engineered stone facade. Appleton Tower: new facade
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