What is Stewardship?

Regine Kandan, Associate, Donald Insall Associates

Stewardship for me is being future fit. 

Society has changed since William Morris formed the SPAB group. We’re dealing with so many more challenges than the Victorians did back then. 

It’s about climate change. It’s making these historic buildings resilient to rising temperatures in the world, increased rainwater. And we need to make our buildings adapt and resilient and strong enough to withstand these changes in the environment.  We must recognise the value heritage buildings have for addressing these risks as well as their intangible value. 
 

Gary Elliott, Founder and Chief Executive, Elliott Wood

As a structural engineer, it's really about the long-term care and maintenance of existing buildings.

To think of them as not just physical things, but also looking at the the social, environmental, and economic impact of the decisions you're making during the life of a building.

And regenerative design is really thinking about how we can do things better and make the most of what we've got. But it's also about going beyond sustainability, and I think stewardship is a fundamental part of that.

Scott Brookes, Director, Elliott Wood

We are getting very bogged down in carbon accounting and very good at viewing what the problem is. And less good at doing something about it.

Stewardship reveals a broader value proposition for buildings and the built environment. 

And a pathway for thinking more deeply about what value that building brings to you. Not just commercially, but as a community and as an individual.

Grace Herring, Pre-construction Manager, Special Projects, Sir Robert McAlpine

I think buildings can't survive if they are overprotected.

Stewardship is finding that critical balance between care and functionality for the end user.

For us at McAlpine's, we predominantly work with end-user clients like the National Gallery, where they are the custodians, and we are just taking it from them and giving it the care it needs.

So for me, promoting and maintaining traditional skills is a critical part of stewardship. Having the right people working on the right buildings isn't only amazing for the historic fabric, but also for the circular economy.

Christopher Rochester, UK Director, Primary Engineer

Stewardship for me in the built environment is about responsibility for the land we use, the buildings, the structures and the environment.

And part of that responsibility has to be about giving agency to young people.

It's about giving young people that opportunity to understand that the built environment isn't just something that happens to them. That they have the opportunity to be part of it and to define it. To redefine it and shape it for us — to show us what the future of that built environment can look like.