Site overview
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Welcome to the Induni Conservation website.
The aims of the site are to:
- Pass on the conservation knowledge I have acquired through contracting, teaching, discussing and advising.
- Raise awareness of and stimulate discussion about some of the key philosophical debates that exist within conservation.
Does the world need another conservation manual?
That is a question with no easy answer. I have just surveyed my own bookshelves and given up counting when the spine of the sixtieth building conservation textbook swam into view. I have not even tried to count the offprints from learned journals and specialist magazines. Surely there is nothing left to be said...
But the reality is that there are many ways of saying the same thing. No two audiences are alike, and you may find my approach to the presentation of knowledge more accessible than that of other authors. I hope so.
Though this is a large and ambitious project, it does not pretend to be complete. There is simply too much to say even when the focus is concentrated on mortar and stone.
So do not see this site as a substitute for other sources...see it as an addition. If it leaves your questions unanswered... contact me.
Who the site is for
The site is intended to help:
- Conservation students at any level of study.
- Architects, engineers and surveyors whose training and experience has not already brought them into contact with all the approaches and problems of conservation.
- Churchwardens and owners who need to interpret the advice that they have received from professionals or who seek to directly analyse the problems of their buildings.
- Conservation contractors who are trying to devise and apply practical solutions to the everyday crises that conservation brings.
If you do not fall into any of the groups, browse the site anyway. If you have any interest in the historic environment it may catch your imagination. If you are puzzled by anything... contact me.
Who am I?
I trained in stone conservation at Wells Cathedral, have 13 years experience as a conservation contractor and have spent nearly 18 years teaching building conservation at undergraduate and postgraduate level. My doctoral thesis was a study of why medieval church plaster does or does not survive. I have served on the Main and Education Committees of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, am currently a member of the SPAB Technical Panel, and have recently been one of the advisors fielding calls on the the SPAB Technical Advice Line.
All the above experince might be of little value were it not for my insatiable curiosity. I love to worry problems from every aspect until I am satisfied with a workable solution. This obsessionally empirical approach to conservation problems has given me a unique blend of practical and and academic knowledge.
Advice and consultancy
This site does not give direct advice. Advice giving is a complex two-way communication process, where shades of meaning can be refined by question and conversation.
What this site does do is give examples of the issues that are likely to confront you. Once you recognise the problem or technique that you need to understand...contact me. Initial telephone consultation is unlimited and free. If your problems cannot be solved without a site visit, I will be happy to quote for visiting, advising and reporting. Again, contact me for rates and references.
Contributing
I am not the fount of all knowledge, and both my time and resource are limited. It is inevitable that the site has mistakes and omissions. Contact me and tell about them. I will either amend my input or adopt yours and credit you fully for it. If we cannot agree on points of contention, I am happy to publish your views verbatim, and without comment, and let the reader form their own opinion. My only stipulation is that you are not personally abusive or libellous.
Very important warnings!
BE CAREFUL.... A little understanding is a dangerous thing.
REMEMBER.... The content of this site is not specific advice to you, it is generic advice that should be seen as a starting point in your quest for solutions.
IF IN DOUBT.... Do nothing and contact me.
Not quite so important notes
Why do you have to login?
You are required to log in so that spammers are at least hindered from stealing content and misusing the site.
Your log in details will not be used by me for any purpose other than gatekeeping the site. You will never receive any unsolicited communication from me in any format.
Academic respectability
This is not an 'academic' publication:
- It is not properly referenced. If you want to discuss my sources... contact me.
- It is not peer reviewed.... But if you want to add 'peer comment', feel free to contribute.
- It does not always seek 'academic balance'. There are numerous instances where my own opinions are freely expressed. Be aware that other commentators may not agree with me.
This lack of academic repectability brings huge advantages for most readers:
- The ghastly, stilted, 'passive-voice' style of academia is consigned to the waste-bin in which it deserves to fester. I fyou think this is unfair comment, ask yourself when you last read a peer-reveiwed academic journal without needing matchsticks under to prop up your sleep-drooping eyelids!
- Contention and polemic become possible. If I think a technique is useless or dangerous I say so.
But...Students beware. You will already have experienced the snotty response of academia towards Wikipedia. Don't expect gold stars if you cite this site without drawing attention to its lack of academic credentials.
Bandwidth, ownership and copyright
All the text and images - unless otherwise stated - are mine. You may copy and use them for any non-commercial purpose, provided you acknowledge their source.
BUT... before you copy material from the site have pity on my pocket. Bandwidth costs money, and I can only keep the site free if you are moderate with downloads.
Where text or images are credited to third party sources, permission to copy them is not within my gift. Contact me, and I will pass you to the person who owns the copyright.
A very few images are problematic. They are from my collection, but I cannot remember how they got there. If you think they are yours, and you object to my using them, accept my apologies, tell me about the problem, and I will remove the images immediately.
Dr Bruce Induni, 12.04.2012