ABSTRACT

Fire is an unfortunate constant in the historic built environment which can cause rapid and potentially widespread damage to a building. Where buildings are of heritage importance there is normally a desire to reconstruct following a serious fire. In order to facilitate the possibility of this, what happens in the immediate post-fire period, as well as in the months that follow, can be critical. This article examines the challenges that are presented post-fire, when it may be necessary to respond to an urgent requirement to stabilise the building and protect it from further damage, before considering mitigation of subsequent issues including contamination and salvage. It goes on to consider a number of allied concerns that may also be of relevance soon after a fire, and are important in moving towards reconstruction. It is concluded that given the likely complex nature of the post-fire state it is important to plan for the possibility of such an eventuality and the necessity of providing an adequate organisational response regarding stabilisation, protection and mitigation. Additionally, the importance of having an adequate level of insurance cover is highlighted, since many of the processes discussed are costly, even before the main costs of reconstructing are incurred.

摘要

在历史悠久的建筑环境中，火灾是不幸的永恒之物，它可能对建筑物造成迅速甚至潜在的广泛破坏。在建筑物具有重要文化意义的地方，通常希望在发生严重火灾后进行重建。为了促进发生这种情况的可能性，在火灾发生后立即以及随后的几个月中发生的情况可能至关重要。本文研究了火灾后提出的挑战，这些挑战是在有必要缓解紧迫性要求以稳定建筑物并保护其免受进一步破坏之前，在考虑减轻包括污染和打捞在内的后续问题之前所面临的挑战。它继续考虑了许多相关问题，这些问题在大火过后不久也可能具有相关性，并且对于进行重建很重要。结论是，鉴于火灾后状态的可能复杂性，重要的是要计划发生这种情况的可能性，以及有必要就稳定，保护和缓解问题提供适当的组织对策。另外，强调了拥有足够水平的保险的重要性，因为所讨论的许多过程成本很高，甚至在产生重建的主要成本之前也是如此。