Is it restoration or modernisation?

Press, 11 October 1979, Page 27

Is it restoration or modernisation?

(Contributed by the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects). There are two aspects dealing with existing buildings, and both are being done extensively in New Zealand. However, there is a very great difference between these actions. And before contemplating either, one has to care- , fully consider just what is I involved, whether it is to I be a modern home in an i old building or a home * which retains the character of the past and possi- ' bly several of the inconI veniences of the plan and ' facilities. 1 Let us first have a look ’ at “Resotoration.” which is really restoring a building to its original plan and materials, so that it retains its historical interest in the matter of planning, materials, craftsmanship and character. The buildings of a nation embody a great deal of valuable information concerning that nation's development in such matters of craftsmanship, imported or local materials available at the time of building, and in different parts of the country. They also show the status of the owners, the amount of wealth available and their manner of living. In the light of developments and knowledge gained over the years, especially in the use and behaviour of materials, restoration is not as rigidly controlled as suggested above, but equivalent materials may be used to regain the original effect. New Zealand has many examples of excellent restoration of old houses and Michael Fowler (Mayor of Wellington and an architect) has produced a sketch book, “Country Houses of New Zealand,” giving a good selection of

North Island homes, while John Stackpoole's book, "Colonial Architecture in New Zealand,” covers both islands with an excel len t photographic record. A study of these books will prove most interesting in following the development of building in this country. Modernisation, on the other hand, is taking an existing building and altering it to match today’s standards in planning, materials and appearance. A building thus modernised is most difficult to restore to its original state.

A building with little historical or other merit is the type best suited for modernisation, provided the basic structure is sound, and the materials in good order. In modernisation, the windows are usually the first items to be changed, giving place to much larger ones, possibly in aluminium. French doors may be replaced with sliding doors and terraces added.

The roofing is sometimes changed from corrugated iron to a chip finished metal tile. Chimneys are taken down to give more room and freedom for internal planning. Bathrooms and kitchens take on a very changed appearance with wall ovens, cooking tops, stainless steel benches, formica and well designed cupboards, vanity units, and shower cubicles. The exteriors are often changed by stucco rendering, brick or concrete block veneers, stained timber or other maintenance free materials. The garage which used to be a lone box shed at the street boundary is now joined to the house, becoming part of the composition of the building. In modernisation, the scope is only limited by finance and imagination and the basic structure of the -building; but in resto-

ration one tries to reinstate the original design and character of the building. If you are in doubt about which course to pursue, ask an architect to advise you. City Council standards The improvement of existing residential buildings is a responsibility that the Christchurch City Council carries out as one of its important objectives. This objective can be carried out in two ways — legal enforcement of housing standards and helpful advice to owners to upgrade their properties. Inspections of dwellings are carried out throughout the city by council health officers to see that the houses comply with the Urban Renewal and Housing Improvement Act 1945 and regulations. These inspections are made as a result of complaints or housing surveys carried out within the city area. Where houses do not meet the minimum legal standards, notices are sent to owners of rented properties to carry out the necessary repairs. For the five years 197478, 1300 informal and statutory repair notices were sent. Where houses are basically unsound or considered uneconomic to repair, demolition notices are sent to the owners of rented properties. Forty seven houses subject to statutory notices were demolished over the past five years. The houses demolished provided 4.86 hectares of land for redevelopment. For the same period, surveys of 670 houses in the inner city residential areas have been undertaken to find out the general condition and estimated life expectancy of the residential buildings. Generally, the majority of properties inspected were basically sound. Discussions between council officers and property owners on the methods of rehabilitation of dwellings, obtaining loan finance, building and town planning approval, and obtaining tradesmen can provide the needed impetus in the housing improvement throughout the city.