CHARTERED ARCHITECTS & HISTORIC BUILDING CONSULTANTS

       THE FUTURE OF OLD BUILDINGS

   CDAC specialises in the conservation of old, listed and historic buildings through...


    
  CONSULTANCY

   We offer consultancy based upon 25 years' professional practice in building conservation...

  • Advising owners, building professionals, developers and others on practical historic/old building issues

  • Explaining conservation preferences encountered in the planning system or likely to benefit old buildings

  • Offering lateral-thinking in cases of apparent conflicts between owners' wishes and official requirements

  • Client design and project advice - to guide clients through the building process

  • Preparation of written reports required by planning or grant-awarding bodies

  • Archival research in connection with project development and planning

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       PRESERVATION & REPAIR

  We can bring an understanding of traditional building, twentieth century repairs and current options...

  • Analysing building failures or maintenance needs

  • Condition Reports with guidelines for appropriate conservation repairs

  • Highlighting where 'conventional' modern repair/decoration materials could conflict with the original fabric

  • Helping to prepare specifications for repairs and adaptations using traditional building methods

  • Advising on conservative repair, for example in accordance with SPAB principles

  • Using our long experience with the modern building industry to understand former (C20th) interventions

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        ADAPTATION, NEW BUILD & SUSTAINABLE USE

  We can offer general advice and interpret current options for...

  • Re-tuning an old buildings' intrinsic sustainability using modern sustainable technologies

  • Assessing the balance between insulation, breathability and moisture control

  • Incorporation of current technology and services minimising visual and physical intrusion

  • Adaptations to provide equal access and improve user comfort and safety

  • Extensions and alterations in sympathy with the style and period of the original building

  • Contemporary designs respecting the scale and materials of the original

  • New-build using traditional and natural materials and new sustainable materials

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        EXPERIENCE

  We use our past professional and practical experience to help those with live projects...

Consultancy commissions include work for developers of housing, commercial office and regeneration projects. We have successfully provided 'plug-in' business-to-business conservation services for fellow professionals such as commercial architects whose wider projects have included an historic building.

CDAC's consultancy work is based upon knowledge gained from our own past projects which include a variety of works for The National Trust, ecclesiastical work carried out in association with English Heritage, domestic work for private individuals and works for charity organisations in connection with public grants.

Our present consultancy is also informed by a range of past conservative repair projects and hands-on conservation work carried out to the standards required for professional conservation accreditation.

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     COMMUNICATION

  Old buildings used different technology and served different ways of life, their adaptation to modern
   use can often be more satisfactorily achieved through understanding rather than overwhelming them.

   Their antiquity may also give them enhanced value: age and character translating into financial worth -
   despite some limitations in performance - making it logical to understand and preserve true character.

The directors of CDAC have been actively involved in national and local conservation issues during their careers, serving on committees of professional bodies and conservation organisations.

They have written extensively - books, magazines and websites - to share lessons learnt from building conservation and to highlight its relevance to the modern pursuit of sustainability.

They are keen to make this information more widely available and understood through work in architectural and general education, talks and lectures, and by contributing to broadcasts and websites - please see www.oldhouse.info for more.

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     RIBA 

      CONTACT

     CDAC Ltd

        We are based in Fulham, London and Colchester, Essex

       
        email   enquiries@cdac.co.uk

          © CDAC Ltd 2015-22

         Of the project pictures shown: Nos. 1-4, 21, 26 & 30 (L-R rows): Consultancy commissions for owners/developers/architects

         CDAC Ltd is a practice registered in the UK with the Royal Institute of British Architects
         and is a company registered in England and Wales reg. no. 3970716 registered office The Forge CO4 5PX