Built to Last, Restoration and Reuse of Buildings at Risk

Bringing built heritage assets back into use is not only a sustainable approach to building but celebrates the character and history of places and advances community cohesion. It can be a challenge to find the right new uses for heritage buildings at risk and to manage their redevelopment but there are those who rise and have risen to it brilliantly and many more can be inspired to do so! This latest book from Ulster Architectural Heritage, Built to Last, profiles 25 bold and effective projects – completed and in progress – right across Northern Ireland where important and distinctive buildings which were once in a vulnerable state have been revived for present and future needs in exciting ways.

In collaboration with the Historic Environment Division of the Department of the Communities, UAH set up a Heritage at Risk Register in 1991 with a view to encouraging potential owners to take on derelict heritage buildings – restoring, reviving and repurposing them. Thirty years on, the pioneers and dedicated individuals who worked on the Register have joined with some of those who were instrumental in saving some of the buildings at risk identified to showcase how they have been given new leases of life. Built to Last presents the intriguing stories of these wonderful projects.

The book is generously illustrated and also includes essays providing an overview of buildings at risk, the economic and societal value of built heritage and the potential for investment. The case studies cover a range of building types and record the history of the buildings, why they fell into disuse, the challenges faced, and the new uses found for them. The various authors draw on their wide experience in built heritage to describe the projects in detail.

Built to Last concludes by highlighting the ongoing mission to save good, usable buildings and identifies a few which are ripe for revival.