Social Factors affecting the Sustainable Renovation of Listed Buildings

Whilst undertaking my dissertation in the Sustainable Renovation of Listed Buildings, I researched the three pillars of Sustainability broken down roughly into Social, Environmental and Economical considerations. These three aspects need to be taken into account when considering anything to do with sustainability whether that be judging if a build is sustainable, or implementing sustainable aspects into a design - these factors will effect and affect all decisions. This article will explain the social impacts listed buildings have on the surrounding community and offers a debate into how the sustainable renovation of such buildings has a positive impact socially, therefore, fighting for the opportunity for such buildings to be renovated more frequently thus impacting economic and environmental aspects of the argument also.

By its very nature, a historic building's preservation contributes to sustainable development in a number of ways: it minimises manufacturing new resources, inhibits waste, generates economic value, and contributes to social qualities important to health and education (City of Westminster, 2013, pp10-13). A society can benefit from living in an area with renovated historic buildings due to the increased level of interest in local tourism and investment. As Garrod notes:

“A common example of this phenomenon is the pleasure which people obtain from looking at a restored building as they pass it, a satisfaction which in some circumstances could be compared to that felt when enjoying a work of art or a fine landscape.”

(Garrod et al. 1996, pp423–430)

Garrod suggests that by investing money into the sustainable renovation of historical buildings it’s likely more people will visit the local area to look and admire the recently finished development, further arguing a boost to the local economy. Therefore, he contends, renovations of period properties make people feel good about where they live, contribute to their local community, and inform a sense of wellbeing.

Interacting with heritage can have a significant positive impact on mental health and wellbeing. Bickerton and Wheatley (2019, pp8-9) explored the links between wellbeing and engagement in arts, culture, heritage, and sports. They found that visiting historical sites, had a significantly positive impact on wellbeing. Another study split 250 hospital patients into two groups at random, the first group were given a selection of heritage artifacts to hold and explore from the University College London Museums and Collections (Fujiwara, et al. 2014). Photographs of the same objects were given to the second group. A list of ten positive and ten negative mood adjectives and the Visual Analogue Scale were used to gauge perceptions of happiness. When compared to the people who did not interact with heritage objects the results showed that handling the items had a significantly positive effect on wellbeing and boosted their mood (Fujiwara, et al. 2014). This would suggest that by applying the same logic, it is likely that heritage buildings can offer the same positive impact on wellbeing, if not more considering the scale and size comparison. The reason for this may be because heritage objects and old spaces allow the user to engage with pockets of their past and reminisce about times and people long gone allowing them to recognise and engage with aspects of their cultural identity (Cheltenham Borough Council, Planning Policy Guidance Note 15 (PPG15) 1994, p4).

Figure 1: Before Renovation

Figure 2: After Renovation

People can benefit from living in or around historic buildings due to the impact it has on their personal and cultural identity and according to The Department of the Environment and The Department of National Heritage in their PPG15 of 1994, society must value and protect the physical relics of the past to be able to understand and inform our national identity (Cheltenham Borough Council, 1994, p5). The physical landscape illustrates the context of the human race (Mynors, 2006, pp3-5). Suggesting that as far as the eye can see there are remnants of previous generations helping to explain who we are, where we came from, and where we are going, not only to us but to the generations after us too. This forms what is called the “Historic Environment” and policies have continued to be put in place since the first-ever legislation was passed in 1882, to protect the cultural landscape (Mynors, 2006, pp3-5). Mynors (2006) goes on to say that maintaining the cultural landscape and renovating listed buildings is imperative for formal and informal education, to gain a greater link to our past, a sense of well-being, and an increase in tourism and local investment. Troi (2014, p11) confirms that historic buildings are sources of cultural identity contextualising the past of the human race whilst perfectly illustrating times gone by and the changes that have taken place over the years. Troi continues to say that historic buildings offer a unique look into the history of the UK’s landscape and are an important investment for the future (Troi, et al. 2015. p11).

References

Bickerton, C. Wheatley, D. (2019) 'Measuring changes in subjective well-being from engagement in the arts, culture and sport'. Journal of Cultural Economy (43), pp. 421–442. doi: org/10.1007/s10824-019-09342-7

Cheltenham Borough Council (1994) Planning Policy Guidance 15: Planning and the Historic Environment. Available at: https://www.cheltenham.gov.uk/site/scripts/download_info.php?fileID=692 (Accessed: 14/01/22)

City of Westminster (2013) Retrofitting Historic Buildings for Sustainability. Available at: https://www.westminster.gov.uk/planning-building-and-environmental-regulations/design-and-heritage-planning/retrofitting-historic-buildings. (Accessed: 28/12/21)

Garrod, G. D. et al. (1996) “The Non-Priced Benefits of Renovating Historic Buildings: a Case Study of Newcastle's Grainger Town,” Cities, 13(6), pp. 423–430. doi: 10.1016/0264-2751(96)00029-7.

Fujiwara, D., Cornwall, T. and Dolan, P., (2014). Heritage and Wellbeing. Available at: <https://historicengland.org.uk/content/heritage-counts/pub/2014/heritage-and-wellbeing-pdf/> [Accessed 3 December 2021].

Figures:

Figure 1 and 2: Hiscox (2017) Holly Cottage in Hampstead, First-Floor front room. Available at https://www.hiscox.co.uk/home-insurance/cover-stories/everything-need-know-renovating-listed-building/ (Accessed 02/02/22).