We’re committed to the sensitive conservation, adaptation, and enhancement of our built heritage. Our specialist conservation team lead complex refurbishment and retrofit projects within listed and historic buildings. We celebrate our shared history, while reducing our environmental impact.
Conservation
Conservation lead
Through our thoughtful design ethos, we aim to ensure the most sensitive and appropriate approach is used when restoring or adapting historic buildings. We invest our time, research, skill and innovative thinking into making invisible changes that give new purpose to the neglected local landmarks at the heart of our communities.
Matthew Morrish
Our expertise
At the earliest stages of a conservation project, we create a heritage assessment report that guides our conservation strategy and architectural approach. We take a thoughtful approach to assessing the historical, architectural and cultural significance of a building or place, to help our team decide whether proposed changes would have a beneficial, harmful or neutral impact. UK and Irish organisations and legislation differ in their wording around ‘significance’ slightly, so our inclusive method meets every criteria, and encompasses every meaningful social value; capturing our shared history and what a place means to us.
We then carefully consider each proposed design solution, repair or conservation method, and any proposed interventions and alterations. All to deliver outstanding quality conservation of our built heritage for people to enjoy for a long time to come.
HLM’s conservation work supports our ambitious objective to meet the RIBA Sustainable Outcomes by 2025.
The conservation of existing buildings – avoiding the carbon intensive process of demolition and new build – tackles one of the most difficult challenges in achieving net zero carbon by 2050.
By retaining an existing building, and carefully improving its thermal performance (to reduce energy use and future operational carbon emissions), we can achieve dramatic carbon savings, compared to building new.
Our conservation-led approach towards sustainability neatly dovetails with HLM’s aim to deliver architecture that has a positive impact on the lives of those who use our buildings, and a positive impact on the world for future generations.
Retrofit, refurbishment and adaptive reuse are all terms used to describe the process of reusing all of our existing buildings; not just buildings of historic significance. At HLM we’re keen to celebrate and reclaim what we have, and make retrofitting the new norm.
HLM works with universities, local authorities and other organisations to undertake rigorous assessment of existing facilities and estates, to understand their use and potential. Coupled with whole lifecycle modelling for different interventions and improvements, we’re best placed to inform our clients of the benefits of refurbishment over new build. This results in reduced operational costs and energy use, lower carbon emissions and a more efficient estate footprint.
Our conservation specialists work closely with our architects to design appropriate, confident contemporary buildings in sensitive historic settings. Whether located in a conservation area, neighbouring a significant listed building, or within historically rich areas.
Through use of traditional materials, colour, form, massing and proportion, we ensure new developments complement or reflect the character of their historic setting, without resorting to pastiche. When seen together, we deliver a coherent and recognisable sense of place.
Our conservation methodology
At the earliest stages of a conservation project, we create a heritage assessment report that guides our conservation strategy and architectural approach. We take a thoughtful approach to assessing the historical, architectural and cultural significance of a building or place, to help our team decide whether proposed changes would have a beneficial, harmful or neutral impact. UK and Irish organisations and legislation differ in their wording around ‘significance’ slightly, so our inclusive method meets every criteria, and encompasses every meaningful social value; capturing our shared history and what a place means to us.
We then carefully consider each proposed design solution, repair or conservation method, and any proposed interventions and alterations. All to deliver outstanding quality conservation of our built heritage for people to enjoy for a long time to come.
Sustainability and heritage
HLM’s conservation work supports our ambitious objective to meet the RIBA Sustainable Outcomes by 2025.
The conservation of existing buildings – avoiding the carbon intensive process of demolition and new build – tackles one of the most difficult challenges in achieving net zero carbon by 2050.
By retaining an existing building, and carefully improving its thermal performance (to reduce energy use and future operational carbon emissions), we can achieve dramatic carbon savings, compared to building new.
Our conservation-led approach towards sustainability neatly dovetails with HLM’s aim to deliver architecture that has a positive impact on the lives of those who use our buildings, and a positive impact on the world for future generations.
Our retrofit first approach
Retrofit, refurbishment and adaptive reuse are all terms used to describe the process of reusing all of our existing buildings; not just buildings of historic significance. At HLM we’re keen to celebrate and reclaim what we have, and make retrofitting the new norm.
HLM works with universities, local authorities and other organisations to undertake rigorous assessment of existing facilities and estates, to understand their use and potential. Coupled with whole lifecycle modelling for different interventions and improvements, we’re best placed to inform our clients of the benefits of refurbishment over new build. This results in reduced operational costs and energy use, lower carbon emissions and a more efficient estate footprint.
New buildings in historic settings
Our conservation specialists work closely with our architects to design appropriate, confident contemporary buildings in sensitive historic settings. Whether located in a conservation area, neighbouring a significant listed building, or within historically rich areas.
Through use of traditional materials, colour, form, massing and proportion, we ensure new developments complement or reflect the character of their historic setting, without resorting to pastiche. When seen together, we deliver a coherent and recognisable sense of place.
