Edinburgh Printmakers

Conservation works

Rot had been discovered throughout the original timber panelling, which was to be a finished feature. To avoid any damage during the construction process, we stripped the panelling from the outset and moved it off site. It was treated for rot at this location and then returned at the appropriate time. To retain the historical external brickwork, we used salvage brick to form the new structural opening and replace any existing bricks that had major damage. Where a brick had minor damage but could be saved, we utilised a Lithomix repair which was expertly coloured to match the existing brick. Internal bricks that were salvaged were used to create new features in the café/kitchen areas.

The salvaged brick leftover at the end of the project had important historical value as they are no longer manufactured and are difficult to source. Because of this, and the fact we didn’t want to send the brick to landfill, we agreed with the client and Heritage Scotland that the brick would be donated to other projects that required similar bricks.

Maximising best value

We provided the client with a saving by using double glazed Pitchglaze Rooflights instead of the ones originally specified. This was suggested by our rooflight sub-contractor, who we have worked with on a number of jobs. This new rooflight provided a frameless internal view, and also allowed more daylight to enter the art studio in comparison to the original spec. During construction, we identified that the finish to a lot of areas could be achieved by ‘tape and fill’ rather than skim coat plaster. We brought this to the client’s attention, and they agreed this was a better approach for the project and it saved them a large sum of money.