Storah Architecture - Chartered Architects • Conservation Architects • Historic Building Consultants
368
page-template,page-template-full_width,page-template-full_width-php,page,page-id-368,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,qode_grid_1300,qode_popup_menu_push_text_top,qode-child-theme-ver-1.0.0,qode-theme-ver-16.2.1,qode-theme-bridge,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-5.4.7,vc_responsive

Our Services

Architecture

We aim to create context sensitive, imaginative designs to suit the needs and the budgets of our clients.

 

Our projects vary in scale from small alterations, new housing, interior design to the design of large commercial and industrial buildings.

 

We also masterplan larger sites, prepare concept sketches and other ideas for projects.

 

Our services can be adapted to your needs and the scale of your project.  This can vary from general advice, a typical small project service providing detailed drawings for planning permission and building regulations approval, or a complete architectural service, designing and detailing the works, preparing specifications, seeking costs from contractors and the management of the construction process.

Chartered Architects • Conservation Architects • Historic Building Consultants

Surveys

We offer several types of survey available ranging from simple property assessments to detailed drawings and in-depth reports.

 

Measured Surveys – Surveys of buildings or land and the preparation of scaled plans as existing.  These can be used to provide information for alterations, to identify areas or to determine property boundaries.

 

Deed, Lease or Licensing Plans – measured surveys with additional information for specific needs.

 

Housebuyers Reports – a visual inspection of a property, normally commissioned before purchase.

 

Condition Surveys – These are generally commissioned before committing to a purchase or lease to determine the condition of the building so that defects and repair costs are identified, or to determine the condition of a building to prioritise repairs or spending. Richard Storah represents the British Standards Institute as UK expert on a European working group developing a new CEN Standard for the Condition Survey of Historic Buildings and Monuments.

 

Quinquennial Inspections – A specific type of condition survey, undertaken at regular intervals to identify defects before larger problems can develop.  Quinquennial Inspections are required for many church and other historic properties.  Richard Storah is on the approved lists of Inspecting Architects to several Church of England Diocese.  He is inspecting architect for churches of varying ages from Norman to post-war.  These range from small vernacular chapels to large town churches.

Chartered Architects • Conservation Architects • Historic Building Consultants

Planning Advice

We can advise on issues such as land use, site layout, feasibility and landscaping.  We aim to consider all the implications of a development in order to address these.  This allows applications to progress smoothly through the planning process. Our aim is to obtain planning permissions that meet the needs of our clients and also respect the surrounding environment. We have experience preparing residential, commercial, industrial and rural proposals, often in sensitive locations, the greenbelt, conservation areas, areas of special landscape value and national parks.

 

We offer the following types of planning advice:

 

Planning Applications – for development or the change of use of land or buildings.

 

Listed Building and Conservation Area Consents – for works in the historic environment.

 

Development Plan representations – to authorities during changes to their Development Plans or Local Development Frameworks.

 

Planning Appeals – When it is not possible to agree a proposal with the Local Authority, we have experience preparing planning appeals, both in-house and in association with other consultants.

 

Planning Objections – objecting to or advising on planning applications made by others.

Chartered Architects • Conservation Architects • Historic Building Consultants

Conservation and Heritage

The practice specialises in the conservation of buildings and sensitive design within the historic environment. Richard Storah is an AABC accredited conservation architect and IHBC member.

 

We have experience of a wide range of conservation, repair and new works to listed buildings and Scheduled Ancient Monuments, within conservation areas, archeological sites and other sensitive locations.

 

Richard Storah is on the approved lists of Inspecting Architects to Blackburn, Bradford, Manchester and Wakefield Dioceses.  As inspecting architects we have carried out repairs, alterations and the reordering of churches of varying ages from Norman to post-war, ranging from small chapels to large town churches for various denominations.

 

We have assisted clients in obtaining grants from Local Government, English Heritage, various Lottery boards, smaller funders and from Landfill Tax credits.

 

We strive to apply the principle of identifiable repair, considering that repairs and new work should be sympathetic, use appropriate materials and be identifiable visibly or through documentation and recording.

 

We have advised other architects and local authorities on conservation issues affecting heritage assets from the prehistoric upto and including 1970’s modernist buildings. This has included the preparation of Conservation Management Plans and Conservation Statements for Georgian courts and defence sites, Victorian Town Halls and Civic Buildings, Modernist and Art-Deco commercial buildings, post-war listed buildings and houses of all ages, from country house estates to modest dwellings.

Services to other Architects and Local Authorities

 

We prepare Conservation Management Plans, Conservation Audits and advise other  architects, consultants and local authorities on conservation issues.

 

This can allow practices to draw on and present our conservation expertise as part of their own core services.

 

In this role we have: advised on planning applications; specified conservation works within larger projects; given design input and prepared conservation plans of varying complexity.

 

We have also assisted local authorities carrying out Conservation Area Appraisals.