Priva has called for joined-up thinking to support the preservation of the UK’s unique architectural heritage.

The latest Heritage and Society report from Historic England has reviewed the vital role our heritage buildings play in UK life and demonstrated their importance to the public, over and above their role in tourism and promotion of Brand UK.

The report's evidence is unequivocal; 93 percent of us say local heritage impacts positively on quality of life, and there's an economic impact as the well-being value of visiting heritage sites has been calculated as equivalent to £1,646 per person per year.

It all adds up to a compelling story; protecting the fabric of historic and listed buildings is of great importance to local communities and is, therefore, the ultimate priority for those charged with building conservation.

Gavin Holvey, UK and Ireland sales manager at Priva commented: “If older buildings are what people value, we must protect these spaces.

“We work closely with building managers and conservationists to do just that; our building controls help to keep the internal climate at the right levels. Using such technologies improves building efficiency and reduces emissions through greater control of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning services.”

Mr Holvey continued: “Priva is on a mission to help conservators and heritage organisations optimise the internal environments of special spaces, without impacting on the fabric of the building. However, there are still those in conservation sector who may be unaware that it is possible to future-proof heritage buildings with the same control-based technologies found in modern structures.” 

Technology’s role in conservation 

Priva’s technology, which is in use at sites such as St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Rosslyn Chapel, is delivering significant energy savings and improved indoor climate conditions for visitor comfort and easier monitoring of energy use.

This in turn means that listed buildings last longer, preserving beauty and enjoyment for the future. Given some of the statistics in Historic England's report, doing such work is vital. Indeed, the report notes that 80 percent of us think local heritage makes an area a better place to live, while another 73 percent of us agree the UK government has a moral obligation to protect heritage.

Furthermore, 85 percent agree that the quality of the built environment makes a difference to the way they feel. Such evidence makes the case for Priva's leadership in future-proofing heritage buildings even stronger.

Mr Holvey concluded: “Our technology keeps these buildings alive and in so doing, we drastically improve the quality of human life too. It's a fantastic example of how energy and building controls work holistically to benefit people, their historic buildings and the environment.”