Even with regard to heritage and historic buildings, churches are unique community pillars that are often timeless in an ever-changing world.
This is one of their greatest strengths and why so many historic churches are beloved to this day, but it can also make construction and restoration projects more complex if you do not work with architects and project managers who specialise in church buildings. There have been many examples of reorganisation and repurposing in recent years, some of which have had more positive results on the community than others. With that in mind, here are some common mistakes made when restoring churches. Failing To Prioritise Character The reason why church buildings are so prized and desirable even if they no longer hold a congregation is because of their historic character and beauty. This is something that should be left as untouched as possible. In the case of listed buildings, which many churches are, sometimes this is a legal requirement but even when it is not, construction work should be planned to be as minimally intrusive to its original features as possible. Internally, it is important when adding new amenities to ensure that they do not affect the structural integrity of the original building. Underestimating Specialist Costs Working with complex and historic buildings necessitates working with specialists who are trained to use historic materials and build in a way that is sympathetic to the original structure. As well as this, working with historic buildings can unearth hidden complications that might cause the costs to increase, which needs to be factored into any budget. Taking Too Long If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well, but with certain older buildings that are underutilised, there is a ticking clock on how long you can wait to restore the building before it starts to fall into disrepair, increasing the costs exponentially and potentially rendering the building unsalvageable.
0 Comments
Revitalising church buildings is an exceptionally rewarding process that involves taking a piece of architectural history and giving it a new lease of life in the modern age.
Sometimes this involves reordering, retaining the chancel for mass but adding secular facilities, but in other cases, it involves a more substantial conversion away from religious use, typically if the church itself has relocated. One of the consequences of using a church building as part of a renovation project, particularly if it is a historic structure, is that there are often somewhat strict laws surrounding its use if it happens to be a listed building. A listed building is any building that is on a national heritage list, which in England means it is considered to have special historic or architectural importance. This importance is graded from the historic landmarks of Grade I to Grade II buildings which have special interest due to their design characteristics or historical importance. Close to 15,000 churches are listed buildings, several of which have been closed as churches, meaning that it is very possible that a potential church renovation will have listed status. This can complicate attempts to substantially renovate a building, as any improvements need to be mindful of the historic character of the building, and will often require listed building consent if they cannot otherwise be avoided. The best way around this is to work with your local planning authority, as well as experts in working with listed buildings to ensure that whatever you want to do with your listed building is within the grounds of listed building consent. Anything above maintenance is typically going to require listed building consent, and choosing to ignore it can lead to an enforcement notice that requires any changes to be reversed, a decision that can prove to be immensely costly. A church re-ordering project can be a highly worthwhile enterprise. Not only can it give a tired-looking interior a new lease of life, but the practical benefits of removing fixed, hard pews and replacing them with moveable chairs enable you to use the space flexibly for all sorts of activities throughout the week, not just on a Sunday.
However, reaching that point means getting over a number of hurdles. Firstly, of course, you need to get the plan right, with bodies like the Church of England offering guidance on how you may proceed. It is important to do this as it may be that some changes cannot be easily undone if you go ahead with them. Secondly, you must raise the funds. Thirdly, you need to employ interior design experts at least and, if the work is to be more extensive, such as including changes to auxiliary buildings, architects. There may also be issues such as objections to your plans from heritage bodies if it is an older or listed building and if planning applications may be required. All this can happen before the actual work begins. In order to ensure the whole enterprise is carried out effectively, you will need effective project management to bring everything together. That means managing the funds, paying contractors, checking that health and safety laws are maintained at all times (including whether the building can remain in use while work is being carried out), and the all-important task of keeping things on schedule. If the latter cannot be managed, mitigation planning will be required. As can be seen from the above list, this is not something that ministerial staff, wardens and others should take the full burden of, not just because of the various calls on their time, but the depth of expertise needed that they are unlikely to have, unless they have prior experience in project management themselves. The best way to preserve the historic beauty of churches is to keep them in use as much as possible. Abandonment and underuse can often be the first step towards a beautiful property falling into disrepair and dedicated project management can help with this.
However, if the congregation of a church is not enough to sustain the building, one option to keep the church open and the community thriving is reordering, which is where the church building is adapted and rearranged to incorporate secular uses. This can be something as subtle as turning a piety shop into a more secular cafe, or it can be something as substantial as turning a church building into a school for trapeze artists or even an indoor skate park. However, as even a small reordering project is a big step that will affect the congregation, it is important to prepare, consult and be as transparent as possible with your proposals. The first step to this is to consult your Diocesan Advisory Committee or similar governing body depending on denomination. They can provide excellent advice and signpost successful churches that have followed a similar approach, as well as highlight historical issues. Another aspect to consider is that a lot of reordering projects are relatively small and subtle; they are less about rapid construction or destruction of the existing space away from the chancel but more about maximising what is there. Because of this, it is worth thinking about what you need and why. Do not try to make do but at the same time avoid being overambitious with projects that do not seem to have an evident need for your local community. You will need to prepare statements of significance and needs so the sooner you think about these steps the better. Finally, consult with members of the congregation and the local community but also get an architect on board as soon as it becomes clear that this project is likely to start. Embarking on a construction or renovation project of any kind will always be an exciting endeavour and there’s really nothing quite like watching what’s on the blueprint develop over time and start to come to life.
But, of course, the road to success is paved with all sorts of obstacles and, while you can manage the project yourself, it will likely increase your stress levels, make the process a lot less enjoyable and potentially cause issues that might not have manifested had you enlisted the services of a professional and qualified construction project manager. This is the route that most developers go down because it does make everything run a lot more smoothly, with the construction and delivery of the project taken care of on your behalf. Skills to look out for when finding a project manager to appoint will naturally include in-depth knowledge and experience of the construction industry, as well as building contract and contract law, and the intricacies of the construction work itself. But you also need to make sure that they have strong problem-solving skills because development projects often come with a range of complicated problems that could be resolved in various different ways. Communication skills are also an absolute must, since it’s often necessary to liaise between different parties and manage everyone’s expectations effectively. From your perspective, working with someone transparent and honest, who provides you with accurate reporting on a regular basis, will give you greater peace of mind that the project is on track. Leadership is something else your choice of project manager must demonstrate and you need to work with someone capable of reacting to circumstances positively, rationally and in a clear-headed way. Having someone in your corner who knows the industry inside out and who stays up to date with all the latest innovations coming to the fore means your project is far more likely to be successful, completed on time and on budget. If you’d like to find out more about the benefits of this kind of service, get in touch with the Dilys Wilson Layton team today. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2024
Categories |