The Architectural Heritage Podcast

What is a traditional building? In this first episode of the Architectural Heritage Podcast, Darren McLean looks at how traditional buildings were made — not just how they look. In fact, in the podcast we have three strands: MaterialsConstriction Historyand Problem Solving  Beginning with traditional Materials from stone cottages and timber frames to lime mortar, brick, thatch, slate, earth construction, this episode introduces the materials and methods that shaped historic buildings before industrial standardisation changed construction. We’ll explore why local materials mattered, how buildings adapted to climate and landscape, and why understanding original construction is essential before repairing or conserving old buildings.Then we’ll move on to construction history, and the evolution of buildings from the Tudor period in the 1500s, up to around the 1930sWe’ll also be looking at the problems with old buildings and some appropriate things you can do to resolve them.   For architects, engineers, building historians, conservation students, practitioners and owners of historic buildings, this episode sets out a simple starting point: understand how the building works before trying to fix it.