An explosive start
This year’s CPD kicked off with a guest spot from Stephen Boniface, who led a session on historic buildings. With a plethora of qualifications to his name (DipBldgCons(RICS), FRICS, MAE, IHBC, RICS Certified Historic Building Professional (Conservation Accredited)!) and several decades of experience in the field, Stephen gave our team plenty to think about.
Bomb damage was a key area of discussion, and it’s something we still come across on a regular basis, despite the length of elapsed time since the world wars. We see it most often in areas like Coventry, London, Sheffield, Liverpool and Manchester; however, nowhere fully escaped the Blitz, and damage is possible almost anywhere in the country. While some defects, such as bowing of walls and gaps around window frames, are clearly linked to explosions, it can sometimes be harder to spot the connection. Stephen talked us through a case of subsidence that had been caused by leaking drains saturating the ground below a property; the initial drain damage had been caused by an explosion decades before. Similarly, a case of roof spread resulting from a shockwave passing over a property was a great illustration of the wide variety of issues bomb events can cause.
Stephen went on to take us through the ages, describing the evolution of mortar from the Roman’s lime with pozzolans, to the non-hydraulic lime of the middle ages, to 19th century NHLs, and all the way up to Portland cement. He also got us all thinking about how advances in transportation changed the building landscape across the country – knowing when canals and trains started replacing horse and carts in a particular area, and the changes in building materials that brought to a town or city, can be a great help when dating a property.
Landmark Projects
We went on to hear from the residential, commercial, structural engineering and general practice teams. One of the key takeaways was how well the various technical disciplines compliment each other. The cross-over between the surveyors and engineers has meant that we have been able to offer clients everything from home building survey reports to structural defect analysis on the residential side, and a broad range of services on the commercial side, including PPM reports and structural calculations, through to dilapidations schedules and diminution valuations.
A particular highlight this year was hearing about the impressive projects our structural engineers have got stuck into. From huge industrial roof assessments for PV panels, to carrying out structural calculations for Tower Bridge, it’s been a varied and exciting 2024.
It’s great to know we can meet such a broad variety of our clients’ needs from our in-house building professionals, supported as always by our amazing admin team.
To the bar!
After all that discussion, we were all ready for our delicious Christmas lunch at The Moorings. The food was fantastic, the company excellent, and the santa hats were the icing on the cake. Later, we dodged Storm Darragh and headed out into town, settling down for a few drinks at the lovely Bedford Street Bar, albeit under some dubious signage! Of course, no Christmas do would be complete without a kebab to round off the night!
