Bringing History back to life

PROPERTY EXPERT JOHN CORMACK LOOKS AT HOW ONE SCOTTISH COMPANY IS METICULOUSLY RESTORING OLD CASTLES AND MANSIONS

It is a sad fact that many buildings of historic and cultural interest in Scotland are in need of substantial repair and maintenance. And, it is into the care of only a handful of specialised firms of building surveyors and architects that these buildings are entrusted. A building surveyor is a unique British professional whose expertise straddles the world of property value, design, construction and maintenance and repair.

When Gibbon Lawson McKee – GLM – set up in Edinburgh in 1985 there was, at that time, no other independent chartered building surveyor in the city and certainly none with a bias towards architectural projects. Today the practice, located in a secluded lane a stone's throw from Princes Street, is making a name for itself in a very specialised marketplace.

The practice is led by David Gibbon who together with three further directors and a team of nine support staff are presently working on a basketful of projects from the North of Scotland well into England. Although the practice is building surveyor led, it employs architects as well as surveyors. This has been a conscious choice and perhaps has become one of GLM's greatest strengths.

But what can a firm such as this offer that an architect cannot? Usually an architect-led practice would tend to split its project team into themselves as designers and would then appoint an independent firm of cost consultants. This works extremely well for large new buildings but according to David Gibbon when it come...

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• By : John Cormack
• In : Contemporary Scotland
• Issue : 10
• Page : 30
• Words : 1,173