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Heritage Roofing
Heritage roofing - maintaining our iconic buildings
The UK is home to some of the most iconic buildings in the world, from stunning churches and cathedrals to historic stately homes. Each and every one of these remarkable feats of architecture requires regular maintenance to ensure they remain in the very best condition, allowing them to be enjoyed for generations.
Traditional Lime
Lime: it’s better for buildings – and for the environment
It is now fairly well known that cement is not good for old buildings and that lime mortar should be used. But why? What are the advantages and what are the disadvantages? In order to begin to answer those questions it is necessary to understand the nature of traditional building, the process by which buildings used to be built, and how it differs from modern construction, the process by which we build today.
Audio Visual
Audio visual equipment in church buildings
This guidance is issued by the Church Buildings Council under section 55(1)(d) of the Dioceses, Mission and Pastoral Measure 2007. As it is statutory guidance, it must be considered with great care. The standards of good practice set out in the guidance should not be departed from unless the departure is justified by reasons that are spelled out clearly, logically and convincingly.
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CRE Events
After the Midlands, onward to Milton Keynes
"CRE Midlands reminded me of the giddy days when it first began – the venue was packed with exhibitors and visitors and there was a busy atmosphere. The whole thing looked great."
Insurance
You need to ensure that reasonable precautions are in place at your church to keep it safe for those who use it. To do this, you need to think about what might cause harm to people.
You will then need to decide if the precautions already in place are adequate. If they are not, you may need to identify further action to prevent any danger. When done formally, this is known as a risk assessment.
Lead Roofing
Lead is one of the oldest materials in the roofing industry and is still commonly used throughout the world today.
Lead roofing is a traditional roofing method which has been used in the industry for hundreds of years, and is therefore proven to be extremely reliable. Lead roofing, and sand-cast lead, in particular is ideal for old buildings such as churches or historical renovations, whereas milled lead roofing is a mass-produced alternative, used for precision and accuracy in homes and commercial buildings alike.
Lightning Protection
When lightning strikes are you protected against this act of God?
The issue of lightning protection in churches is one that has exercised this publication for many years. In this four-part series of spotlights on the issue we will be revisiting various aspects of the subject, beginning with an overview of current thinking.
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Museums Association Green case study
Manchester Museum has been in its present Victorian building near the city centre since 1888. Part of the University of Manchester, it employs 94 members of staff. Its environmental control systems are relatively efficient, following a major refurbishment project between 1999 and 2003, but it is improving them in line with its objective to ‘put sustainability at the heart of its operations… and to contribute to the sustainability agenda through its own practice.’
In addition, the university introduced sub-metering of energy supplies so that end-users, including the museum, could be charged for their energy use. Nigel Thompson, the museum’s assistant director, says a Carbon Trust survey gave an overall picture of annual energy consumption for the first time. Recommendations for reducing energy use included better control of the environment and lighting; staff training and awareness-raising; improved procedures for out-of-hours shut-down of building services; time-switches to local hot-water heaters deployed round the museum; and occupancy sensors to control lighting in WCs.
The museum commissioned environmental charity Global Action Plan to help, working together with the university’s Whitworth Art Gallery and the John Rylands University Library. Examples of Global Action Plan initiatives to change staff behaviour include:
• Small rewards (such as chocolate bars) for staff who turned their computers off before leaving work
• Better provision for recycling
• Green Days to promote energy efficiency, encourage waste reduction, and gather ideas and feedback.
Current plans to embed sustainability involve:
• A cross-departmental team to promote environmental sustainability
• Departmental annual operating plans that include sustainability targets for procurement, travel and waste management
• Annual audits of departmental performance
Planned infrastructure improvements include shared office printing facilities and the gradual replacement of tungsten and tungsten-halogen lighting with light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Thompson says £6,000 spent on LEDs in one of the galleries could result in annual savings of £5,000 in energy costs and £3,000 in maintenance and lamp replacement costs – equivalent to a pay-back period of just nine months.
The 2007 Carbon Trust survey calculated the museum’s annual CO2 emissions to be 800 tonnes. By 2011 the museum wants to reduce it to less than 500 tonnes, cutting energy consumption and the amount of waste it sends to landfill by 40%.
Web links:
www.manchester.ac.uk/museum
www.globalactionplan.org.uk
www.carbontrust.co.uk
Manchester is the venue for this year’s Museum Association Conference and Exhibition (October 4th to 6th)www.museumsassociation.org
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