Restoration architecture has become very popular because many different individuals and organizations wish to restore historic designs. Many buildings have been modernized over time. As buildings have been modernized, various aspects have been lost. Now, a trend has been seen where people want to bring back the old charm of the building – and encompass everything that was beautiful about the building as it was in its time. Restoration architecture is ultimately turning old into new. An architect may have to strip back a lot of different aspects of the building. This may include interior and exterior features. Layers and layers of paint may need to be removed from the outside in order to restore the natural brick or provide a better looking exterior. On the interior, new flooring may have to be ripped out in order to restore back to natural wood floors, layers of paint may need to be removed in order to view the natural walls, and plumbing and electrical components may need to be added to various areas of the building. The architect you hire to handle the restoration architecture needs to be able to handle all aspects of the restoration that you wish to have happen. There is some confusion as to what restoration architecture actually includes and doesn’t include. Ultimately, you are bringing the building back to its natural beauty. You may not be able to restore everything – and this is where you will need an architect who will be able to re-create certain aspects. For example, an original staircase may have experienced dry rot. There is no way to restore the natural staircase, which means that the architect will need to create a new staircase and age it appropriately. Various architects who specialize in restoration architecture will be able to locate wood and other supplies from that time period. This often involves a lot of creativity. An architect may locate a 19th century table and chairs and then take the wood to turn it into kitchen cabinets. The more creativity an architect has, the easier it will be for you to restore a building more effectively – and have it more appropriate to its original time period. You cannot allow just anyone to touch your building. If they do not know what they are doing, they may be removing a lot of old things that you wanted to restore. Many architects go in thinking that they are basically going to level the building and start from scratch. With restoration architecture, this is just the opposite. You want to maintain as much of the original building as possible – and architects need to know this. Before you get started on a restoration project, you will want to explore a few different architects. Find out who has experience with restoration architecture, what their view is on using natural and age-appropriate supplies, and how they plan to tackle your project. Based upon what you find out, you will be able to choose an architect more effectively and be confident in their abilities. Duane Bradshaw Architects has been considering the environment and practicing green architecture techniques long before it was glamorous to do so. Not only are adaptive reuse architecture a good way to preserve the environment but previously existing spaces tend to have a character of their own.
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