Among other things, facilities professionals are also involved in the maintenance, restoration and preservation of historic structures. The Facilities special issue on World Heritage Cities in 2011 was testament to the amount of research being undertaken by facilities professionals in the field of heritage restoration. This new book from Norton is about the correct preparation of historic structure reports (HSRs), the primary investigative document involved in preservation of historic structures. These historic structures, the book describes as “highly complex artefacts”: i.e. structures with historical, architectural and cultural meanings.
This compact, attractive, and very orange book is written by an experienced architectural conservator who first explains which structures qualify as “historic structures”. The author then details the process involved in writing historic structure reports (HSRs), and during the course of doing so, discusses important issues such as the need for the HSRs and the multidisciplinary nature of its contributors. By explaining these two, the book satisfies the needs of the two extremely important stakeholders in the conservation process: those compiling the historic structure report and those commissioning them. While the utility of the book for those compiling the HSR is obvious, commissioning bodies benefit by understanding who they need to involve in the process, the benefits they can expect from the HSR, and the level of detail required for each historic structure.
The book's narrative is clear and simple. The points explained are illustrated through references to historic conservation projects and pictures of these accompany the text. The author uses these examples to sometimes illustrate a point, but mostly to highlight challenges specifically posed by the chosen conservation projects and the lessons learnt from them. Chapter ends have links to further readings and websites giving further detail, which is a definite plus. The multidisciplinary nature of the report is dealt with in much detail. The required input from historians, architects, structural engineers, mechanical engineers, historic landscape architects, finishes and wood experts and electrical engineers is described not only in terms of their expertise, but also in terms of co‐ordination, communication and joint decision‐making between these various professions.
How to Write a Historic Structure Report could well be a textbook for a relevant course but will certainly be an indispensable companion for HSR compilers and commissioning bodies. Although the book is written in the US context (with references to state‐specific guidelines), it would still be extremely useful for anyone outside the US, who is involved in HSR writing or commissioning. It is clear in terms of its objectives, and delivers these in a clear, informed narrative.
