Around the world you can find all kinds of significant heritage architecture. This includes castles, palaces, churches, monuments and memorials, historic homes and gardens, and even commercial architecture. In some cases entire landscapes or massive areas have undeniable historical and cultural value. Sadly, much of it is currently at risk and we could lose it in the future.

Safeguarding

The World Monuments Fund (WMF) is one of the most important organisations in the world when it comes to preserving heritage architecture. The independent, non-profit has been working to preserve sites and increase awareness since 1965. In 1996 they launched their Watch list. Every two years it promotes dozens of sites, choosing them from hundreds of nominations. They then provide funding and increase awareness to bring in even more money to help safeguard them.

The next round of the World Monuments Watch will be published in 2027. Evaluations are currently under consideration to whittle down the nominations. The evaluation of each site will look at the key things that threaten them. Interestingly, this provides an insight into the most common threats. Three stand out at the moment.

Funding

Firstly, and maybe not surprisingly, the biggest threat to heritage architecture is a lack of funds. It can be incredibly expensive to safeguard even small memorials or sites. As they get larger and more complex, including commercial architecture, the costs rise massively. In fact, a UNESCO report claims only 25% of countries have “the means to safeguard heritage”. Even when funds are available, economic constraints and the cost of labour and materials can cause huge problems.

Climate

Secondly, more extreme weather is a direct threat to heritage architecture around the world. Climate change is making flooding, droughts, wildfires, and storms more common. It can have a huge impact on structures and landscapes. Coastal locations are particularly vulnerable. Unfortunately, things are likely to get worse in the future too.

Skills

Finally, the skills shortage is a major risk to heritage architecture. How can we save it if people don’t have the actual skills to do so? Sadly, there are many traditional crafts and techniques that we don’t use anymore. Even when people have the knowledge they need, are there enough of them? Ultimately, we need to revive skills and crafts, get more people learning them, and preserve the knowledge. This could actually also be a great source of jobs and provide economic benefits.

Got ideas for commercial architecture?

Coffey Architects would love to help if you’re looking to preserve heritage buildings, including historic commercial properties. Great designs can safeguard them while also making them suitable for different uses, including housing. We’ve got some great experience here, and never shy from developing innovative, creative solutions.

So, speak to us about your plans and let’s see what we can achieve. We can work to retain and safeguard commercial architecture where viable. It is the best way to preserve our heritage.