Context 155 - July 2018

16 C O N T E X T 1 5 5 : J U L Y 2 0 1 8 ways in which the historic principles could be reused and integrated into a modern system, harnessing its potential in providing a more sustainable approach to ventilation. In the refur- bishment of highly-serviced public buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries, the reuse of historic infrastructure could offer a new approach to reconciling tensions between con- servation and sustainability. The palace contains a sophisticated stack-ventilation and warm-air central heating system 4 that provided the prec- edent for many public buildings in Europe and North America. 5 Between scholarship and applied science Aprerequisite to implementing this newapproach is an in-depth knowledge of the environmental principles underlying the design of historic buildings. Archival research, complemented by site investigations and technical analysis, was used in this project to reconstruct the design of the historic system, how it was operated and how it performed. It retraced the alterations made throughout its operational life to improve its performance or accommodate new technolo- gies. The process of reconstructing the historic design and its performance has been illustrated in articles published in Architectural History , AA Files and the Journal of the Society of Antiquaries . 6 In this project the use of academic research has two primary functions. The first was to expand our understanding of the history of envi- ronmental design in architecture, and the second to create new technical knowledge of historic buildings, informing the work of architects and engineers in architectural conservation. While previous publications by architectural historians have highlighted the significance of the palace within the wider history of building services engineering, they have offered little insight into its technical design or performance. 7 The research undertaken in the context of this project is distinct from more conventional approaches to architectural history by integrat- ing technical perspectives and methods of analy- sis into the interpretation of archival material. The article published in the Journal of the Society of Antiquaries , for instance, includes an analysis of its historic performance based on historic measurements, scientific and technical reports, eyewitness accounts and the log-books kept by the attendants operating the system. This yielded insights into the behaviour of historic technologies on which future design studies, to be undertaken in collaboration with the engineers and architects, can draw. It also offered insights into the historic design concepts and objectives and how these differed from modern approaches to natural stack ventilation. 8 Although both follow similar principles, there are fundamental differences in their technical implementation. If the aim is to build on the historic principles ,they need to be critically reappraised in the light of 21st-century technol- ogy, standards and regulations. It is a ‘critical restoration’ 9 , and to gain the required under- standing it is fundamental that technical and historical perspectives be fully integrated. Bridging the gap Although the academic research discussed above has yielded knowledge relevant to conservation practice, it is not sufficient to facilitate its effec- tive use in practice. A process is still required to enable its application. In this project this issue was addressed by distinguishing between three distinct, yet closely interlinked, workstreams. The first stream, which is the academic research leading to scholarly publications, is followed by two intermediate stages. The first of these is concerned with the process of translating aca- demic research into useable design knowledge. In this project it involved shifting the focus from historical research towards technical surveys of the existing physical infrastructure, for which the scope of site investigations and archival research had to be extended considerably. The findings were disseminated among the consultants and within the client body through a series of detailed reports and a programme of knowledge exchange activities, which comprised lectures, Q&A sessions, workshops and site visits. The reports produced in conjunction with the first intermediate stage were distinct from academic publications, and were based on additional research that the author had to undertake in parallel to his academic work. The second intermediate stage, which required close collaboration with the consultants and managers of the client body, focused on facilitating the process of research utilisation . The transition from the translation to use is best illustrated by the research undertaken to underpin the 3D-point cloud survey of the palace. It began with producing a detailed reconstruction of the historic system in its original state. This was largely based on studies of original archive material, such as drawings, letters or contract specifications. A set of drawings was produced to show both the surviving and the lost features of the system. The latter included vulnerable features such as valves, scientific instruments and pulleys used to regulate and monitor the system or the heating, cooling and humidification arrangements. The lost features are fundamental to fully under- standing the historic infrastructure and how it operated. At the next stage these drawings were verified through site reconnaissance. Its purpose was, first, to check the drawings against the