Building conservation goes batty about roofing membranes

On Wednesday 11th November 2015, Oxley Conservation ltd hosted a daylong conference considering the Challenges and Conflicts in Building Conservation. Attending the conference were specialists in the field of Heritage Buildings and their conservation. The event was aptly held in The Chantry House, a beautiful medieval timber framed building, which boasts to be Henley-On-Thames only Grade I Listed building.

Talks ranged from the ‘Design of Buildings in a Changing Climate’ from Professor Bill Gething to ‘the good, the bad and they ugly’ facts on using plants to protect stone walls from Dr Martin Coombes. During the second act in the afternoon myself and Toby Pitt managing Director at West Country Tiling talked about the history, use and suitability of underlays in regards to heritage buildings and bats.

This was a brilliant chance to explain to an audience involved in the design and refurbishment of heritage buildings, which are more likely to house bat roosts, about the concerns and problems faced when using modern roofing membranes in such buildings. Attendees came from architect firms, district councils, Historic England, building solution manufacturers and The Royal Household. There were many questions regarding practices that had been suggested by manufacturers, possible solutions and the future for roofing membranes in bat roosts. It was a great opportunity for networking between the conservation of wildlife and conservation of building structures and has led to potential future opportunities to work together with these experts to help solve the problems of bats and modern roofing membranes.

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271 - CopyFor more information on the problems relating to bats and modern roofing membranes please visit www.batsandbrms.co.uk or contact Dr Stacey Waring

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