Heritage building consultancy

Our team of highly-skilled heritage building consultants understands the importance of preserving our nation’s older buildings and their rich cultural past – and the many challenges involved. 

With energy efficiency at the heart of our work, altering or modernising heritage buildings needs a careful, detailed approach that considers the varying construction methods and materials involved. 

Our multi-disciplinary engineering experts have widespread experience in producing detailed, sustainable design solutions that revitalise buildings while preserving their original features and structural integrity. 

With a portfolio of restoration and redevelopment work across multi-million-pound projects on historically important sites, as well as Grade II and II* listed buildings, your heritage project is in safe hands with our dedicated team. 

building consultancy services for the retail sector

Why the heritage building sector can benefit from Naismiths’ expertise

There are understandable concerns about altering a building’s historic character that could be seen as damaging its heritage value, while balancing the need to be energy efficient. 

We take a responsible approach to our heritage projects, with the careful design, installation and maintenance of M&E engineering systems playing a vital role in increasing their longevity and reducing operational costs. 

Our construction consultants work closely with architects and contractors through the design and planning stage of a project to assess how we can help develop a safe and comfortable building for its users that is also energy efficient and regulation compliant. 

Our team offers in-depth retrofitting advice on introducing sustainable features such as air source heat pumps, LED lighting, solar panels, double-glazing or external wall insulation. We produce thermal modelling and profiling reports of the premises to understand the potential heat loss and gain.  

We are also adept at navigating complex planning issues around heritage buildings and those in conservation areas and the process of winning listed building consent.  

Our heritage building consultants work across all sectors and types: 

  • Historic and listed, including timber-framed, buildings 
  • Hotel conversions 
  • Food and drink businesses in historic buildings 
  • Healthcare centres – both NHS and private facilities 
  • Bank and building society refurbishments 
  • Commercial office projects in cities throughout the UK  
  • Sport and leisure facilities 
  • Universities; private and public education premises  

What Naismiths’ heritage consultants can offer in the drive to net zero: 

  • Expert analysis of a building’s operational energy needs 
  • An ‘energy efficiency first’ approach to every project 
  • Detailed conceptual input at the project’s initial briefing stage 
  • A ‘fabric first’ design approach to insulation measures, airtightness and thermal performance 
  • Conceptual drawings for architects and structural engineers to assess where to house the M&E plant  
  • Installing cost-effective and highly-efficient M&E systems 
  • Expert advice in the drive to an all-electric approach, including EV charging facilities  
  • Feasibility reports on renewable energy sources such as heat pumps – air, ground or water source pumps – wind and passive sources like solar panels 
  • Advice on the best U-values to ensure effective insulation 
  • Using advanced IES software to calculate the pay-back period of sustainable measures 
  • Pre-purchase surveys 
  • Full building surveys 
  • Cost management services 
  • Assisting the preparation of funding documentation 
  • Feasibility studies for extensions or refurbishments 
Naismiths and Edmond Shipway London

In addition, our specialists in the wider Naismiths team bring impressive results to projects across the construction sector through our three complementary service streams: project monitoring, building consultancy and restructuring and advisory. 

We work closely with clients to ensure projects are completed within budget, to agreed deadlines and strict planning guidelines. Our services include: 

  • M&E consultancy 
  • Sustainability consultancy 
  • Project management 
  • Construction project monitoring 
  • Building surveying 
  • Building consultancy services 
Cranes

What can Naismiths’ specialist heritage consultants offer?

Our aim is to be involved with each of our heritage consultancies at the very start of the process, continuing to offer all-round energy saving solutions at every stage. We are proud of our personal approach and our strengths in close collaboration. 

Clients in this sector can rest assured that our strategic guidance and careful navigation, from smaller scale concerns to multi-million pound projects, will bring outstanding results. 

We deeply understand the importance of preserving the character and historic interest of the UK’s heritage buildings, while helping our clients reach their net zero targets with a sympathetic and careful approach. 

Building consultants at laptop in conversation

Our heritage construction case studies

One of our many success stories was delivering project monitoring services on the considered conversion of a Victorian Grade II* Listed building into luxury apartments, a new build care home, assisted living units, luxury residential apartments and commercial spaces in Solihull, West Midlands. 

We were also appointed to provide project monitoring services in the careful redevelopment of three Grade II listed townhouses into 24 student apartments in Bristol. 

Case Studies

Contact our heritage building consultants today