News
NEW BOOK PROMOTES THE SUSTAINABLE REUSE OF OUR BUILT HERITAGE
A new book celebrating the sustainable reuse of local historic buildings was launched on Wednesday 19th September at the Meter House, Belfast Gasworks, by Ingval Maxwell, Director of Technical Conservation, Research and Education at Historic Scotland.
The publication, entitled Lose or Reuse: Managing Heritage Sustainably, was written by Lydia Wilson and published by the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, with generous financial support from Awards for All.
Speaking before the launch, Ingval Maxwell said of the book:
“It promotes relatively simple steps that can be taken to preserve the integrity of the historic environment whilst establishing the added value that can be demonstrated by retaining and re-using the existing building stock as culturally, socially, financially and personally viable entities.”
Reinforcing this, the author, Lydia Wilson, stated:
“We all know about the need to protect the environment by recycling our rubbish and saving on car journeys, but there’s much less awareness of how historic buildings can help save the planet. Repairing and reusing existing old buildings limits our impact on the environment in so many ways – not least by saving construction waste, reducing the need for energy-intensive new building materials and preserving green spaces.
“Historic buildings are also a precious part of our shared culture – research shows that they can help provide a sense of belonging and encourage a vibrant local economy. Building a sustainable future is important for all of us – and protecting our historic buildings can really help. This book uses current research and local case studies to let people know about the issues.”
The publication can be picked up free-of-charge from the UAHS office. It is also available electronically: