Listed Building Renovation in Construction
28th February 2024
Introducing Diarmuid Mullan at Heron Bros
Renovating a listed building in the UK and Ireland is a complex and highly specialised process. However, the rewards for the environment, local communities, and the construction workforce often make it worthwhile. By definition, a listed building in the UK and Ireland is a structure of special architectural or historical significance that receives legal protection. Think of it like a museum, but for buildings you can still live in or use. From Georgian mansion blocks to rural castles and Victorian swimming pools.
When it comes to repairing and renovating these unique historical buildings from a construction perspective, and bringing them back to life with modern structural twists, there's a lot to consider. This week, we spoke with Diarmuid Mullan from construction and property developers, Heron Bros, who have significant experience in this niche sector. We explored the differences between listed building renovation and modern commercial work, before discussing how heritage restoration can have a positive impact on the workforce, environment, and local residents when managed effectively. We also reflect on how the Considerate Constructors Scheme has helped guide, inform, and empower listed building restoration work at Heron Bros while positively impacting overall improvements within the construction sector.
How is Listed Building restoration/retrofit work different from that of a normal construction project?
“The big key difference is the materials we are working with. We usually avoid using certain cement-based products and chemical-based products when we work on these construction projects. We tend to work with more natural-based products like bricks and clay, natural materials, which have their own environmental benefits by their very nature. As well as this, one of the biggest benefits of historic restoration is that we often use salvaged materials, materials from other buildings that have been knocked down, while repurposing these as part of the restoration process. So it’s a twin benefit that prioritises environmental issues and optimises the use of natural resources in line with the Considerate Constructors Scheme environmental agenda. Through this restoration process, we are stopping materials going to landfill while also reducing the need for new materials being made. So it reduces carbon production and waste in two ways on-site; removing the carbon used to dispose of materials and removing the carbon used to make something new. This environmental benefit is one my favourite aspects of listed building restoration and retrofit work as I am from a farming background myself, so very passionate about the environment and reducing negative impacts on it.
The methodology of construction is also very different from standard construction techniques. Construction has obviously moved on leaps and bounds in the last 10 to 15 years. I’ve witnessed significant changes having been in the industry over 22 years. But with heritage construction, we look back at methods that are over 100 or 150 years old, with the goal to adapt these with a modern twist. We don’t use the exact same methods used over 150 years ago, due mainly to modern safety considerations, but we focus particularly on attention to detail within historic construction work along with the quality of the craftsmanship. No process is rushed and there is an intense focus on adopting heritage techniques to ensure that everything is produced to the highest quality and standard. Overall, retrofit is a slower and more methodical process than standard construction techniques, but the quality of construction is always unsurpassed.”
How has the Considerate Constructors Scheme’s focus on workforce development and learning helped guide you to upskill the workforce for Listed Building restoration and set up your very own Heritage Skills Academy?
“In Northern Ireland, we do not have the same scale of restoration work as in the UK. Historically, as a location, we haven’t been as careful with historic buildings, and the heritage workforce is more domestic, meaning there isn’t a huge pool of people to draw upon to complete heritage restoration work. I therefore knew straight away that we were going to have a workforce supply issue when working on the Templemore baths project and other listed building works. Also, some of the local domestic heritage workforce were put off getting involved by having to attain the correct insurances, creating invoices and completing detailed safety training in order to work with us on the bigger heritage retrofit projects.
With this in mind, Heron Bros decided to proactively set up its own Heritage Skills Academy on-site by using the knowledge of staff like myself who have worked with previous heritage restoration firms. For example, I am from a joiner’s background, and I’ve worked on major heritage projects in London, so I trained the joiners myself to upskill their heritage techniques in things like woodwork restoration. Also, we have some fantastic bricklayers who have also previously worked on large-scale listed building restoration projects in London too, so they trained the other bricklayers in specialist brickwork. For some of the more technical work for jobs that are a little bit harder, we take some of the highly skilled smaller domestic companies that are available in the local area and take them on-site to train them in how to produce invoices and conduct their formal paperwork, so they too can become involved.
By doing this, we directly support and upskill local workforces and empower local companies to be able to help us in the future on other heritage restoration projects, in line with the Scheme’s focus on workforce improvement. The tradespeople we are upskilling for our heritage projects, for example the bricklayers who are handling brick replacements and complex stonework, are already great tradespeople with transferable skills. But they can sometimes find it difficult to keep up with the physical demands and targets set at large-scale commercial projects. By retraining them for heritage restoration work, which demands patience, care and attention to detail, and diversifying their skills, we give them a better quality of work to do while developing their technical skills at the same time. This helps create a supportive, inclusive and healthy workplace that is directly influenced by the CCS Code stipulations, which encourages and fosters workforce learning and development.”
Describe how you have utilised the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice in your daily work on Listed Building restoration to ensure that projects make a positive impact on the community, environment and workforce?
“Personally, I’ve been working with the Considerate Constructors Scheme for over 16 years at various companies. But at Heron Bros specifically, it is myself who leads the team and prepares the heritage construction sites in line with CCS requirements. I am always involved in coming up with initiatives and projects that aim to have a positive impact on the community, the environment and workforce. I’ve been living and breathing the CCS Code of Considerate Practice and values each day, so the stipulations are very much embedded into our on-site work systems, which is a great thing to see. And having worked with the Scheme for so long, I’ve been able to witness first-hand how sites have moved on in a positive direction because of their involvement with the Scheme.
In terms of positive environmental impacts, the webinars and Best Practice Hub e-learning modules on reducing the use of single-use plastics on-site have been useful when improving our work on waste, along with the resources on minimising disruptive practices like dust and noise pollution.
When it comes to the workforce, these trainings are also playing a vital role in attracting people into the construction industry, as they have helped to create a more positive and inviting workplace to work in. The Scheme has helped to break down outdated working practices and the archaic image of construction being a prejudice and disruptive environment to work in. This is not what modern construction means anymore thanks to the Scheme’s guidance and expertise on creating a positive lasting legacy. Construction is now a fantastic career for both boys and girls to take part in and we are pleased that women feel more comfortable about coming into the industry and working at Heron Bros thanks to the initiatives like CCS which are making it more attractive. Additionally, listed building renovation work helps older tradespeople with specialist skills who want to stay in the trade, but find working on bigger commercial projects more demanding, to stay within the construction sector, and gives them the chance to work on architecturally significant projects that are often award-winning (like the Templemore baths, which won several national construction awards).
Finally, the community impact of the Code is profound and this can be seen at many of our projects like Templemore baths. We proactively adopt community outreach programmes, door-to-door visits and letter drops to inform local residents of when construction work is taking place, and regularly meet local residents to build up a positive rapport when construction is taking place. For the Templemore project for example, the site was surrounded by residential properties on all four sides, so I would often go around to talk to the residents who lived there to explain the process of construction and give them updates on how we are restoring the old building. Because of the nature of the project, many residents were taking a very active interest in talking to us about the retrofit progress, and our proactive communications with them helped to minimise any critical feedback during periods where construction was potentially noisy. Additionally, on the hoardings, we added a QR code that enabled local residents to access our regularly updated digital newsletter which charted the progress of the project and gave detailed information to help residents understand the value of it. We also gave them free access to the my MyHeron App using the QR code, which gave the community access to a range of wellbeing resources while construction was taking place, such as yoga and Pilates classes, morning workouts and information on the benefits of Heron Bros construction projects. This app is also shared with our workforces who can also access a range of toolkits and services that help them to grow and develop within their working fields, and many of these toolkits are based directly on the CCS e-learning modules. The CCS has therefore really been central to helping us better integrate into the community with our focused activities. We are very open to the community on our projects, listening to community needs and working with them as we construct, which makes the entire process so much easier and more productive for everyone.”
Why/How did you choose to become a specialist in this area at Heron Bros, and why is it so valuable to preserving and promoting heritage skills within the construction sector?
“I first dipped my toes into heritage and listed building construction in 2012 in London for a company that specialised in heritage mansion block restoration. I had the pleasure to work on iconic historic buildings like the Royal Albert Hall and the Sudanese Embassy, which sparked my personal interest in the quality and value of heritage construction. I then relocated to Northern Ireland and worked on large-scale modern construction projects like leisure centres at Heron Bros for a while. During Covid, Heron Bros were appointed by Belfast City Council, to redevelop the only still functioning Victorian Bath house in Ireland. The works to Templemore Baths involved a modern extension and full historic refurbishment of the original building to bring it back to its original function as a leisure facility. This landmark scheme provides a unique visitor-attraction encompassing heritage spaces with interactive/multi-sensory displays to reimagine the history of the building and surrounds. My love for heritage construction grew from this project, thanks largely to its social, workforce, environmental and community impact.”
In a few words, describe what a typical day looks like in heritage and Listed Building restoration/retrofit work and why this work is so valuable to local communities at construction sites.
“Retrofit and restoration construction work is very different from standard commercial work – it’s not an easy step-by-step process, but involves careful investigation and surveying before work starts. It’s all about analysing the historic project and then trying to re-sequence and adapt modern construction techniques in the building, while preserving the heritage features that make listed buildings so charming, enjoyable and captivating for everyone in the community. Every restoration is a brand-new challenge and involves different approaches each time, thanks to the unique nature of historic property, with their historic architectural styles and creatively designed quirks.
Socially, this retrofit work is extremely valuable for local communities as the projects typically have so much community buy-in. Often the buildings have existed for hundreds of years, like the Templemore baths, where different generations of people swam in bathhouse over time. It's so exciting when historic buildings like this are brought back to life with considerate restoration techniques and it allows people of the existing and next generation to enjoy the beauty and craftsmanship of historic properties, both now and in the future. It has an unbelievably positive impact which is often welcomed and celebrated by local community stakeholders. Retrofit work like the Templemore project also often prevents old buildings from collapsing and experiencing catastrophic structural failures due to things like dry rot. So the work literally saves architecturally significant buildings from being completely lost to future generations. These projects therefore mean so much emotionally to people as they spark feelings and memories. And because this impact is so profound, we often receive a tremendous amount of praise from members of the public who we speak to and consult as we are redeveloping listed buildings It’s an unbelievable feeling to see someone’s face light up when they witness iconic buildings being restored and brought back to life again, which makes the hard work and challenges of restoration work itself all worthwhile, and an honour for us to play a part in.”
In summary, how does the CCS help guide your work in heritage construction and help make construction a great sector to work in?
“I would largely attribute the quality of environmental, welfare and social improvements within construction to the amazing work of the Considerate Constructors Scheme. It helps to foster a greatly improved place of work for everyone and to see where we are at today with our improved facilities is unbelievable. I also have a personal passion for environmental issues and it’s great that the Considerate Constructors Scheme makes environmental considerations such a prominent part of their code. It’s all very well to have a personal passion about the environment, but if positive environmental actions are not enforced in construction and passions don’t result in real-world changes, it doesn’t make a difference at all. That’s why the CCS is so influential in this area in particular, as the Scheme requires conformance to its environmental stipulations and helps companies themselves improve and make things better. It gives all staff a positive structural framework to be able to make a difference, from recycling and adding biodiversity initiatives to our construction sites, and pushes us all to be better within the industry. These changes have a big impact and leave a positive lasting legacy that can be felt by everyone.”