CONSERVATION AND REFURBISHMENT
During a building's lifetime its use, form, function and condition is likely to change, either due to environmental factors or due to changing requirements or even as a consequence of accident or fire. As a result, it is often necessary for buildings to adapt and change; equally, it is often necessary to conserve the form and condition of a building in it’s current state. The structural engineers at Aakriti Consultants have been involved with the refurbishment, adaptation and conservation of a number of buildings,we therefore understand the factors involved and the various opportunities and limitations of working with an existing building.
The first step with any existing building is to appraise its current structural form and condition to gain an understanding of the robustness of the structure. At this point it may be perfectly possible to demonstrate that the existing structure is adequate and will continue to perform up to its designed life with little or no structural repairs, although this is often not possible. If structural repairs are shown to be necessary, the structural engineers at Aakriti Consultants understand that the form and extent of the repairs should be based on a thorough understanding of the history of the building, and importance of respective elements, but above all based upon a thorough understanding of the form, strength, stiffness, robustness and durability of the structural materials and elements that comprise the structure.
