Thoughts From Scotland - Building for Longevity

Nuances of Architecture

and Structures

Adventuring to another culture is good for a lot of reasons:

Crushing Cultural Myopia and Stagnant Paradigms is high on the list. Of course, seeing the sights is fun too. 

With our Construction Education Series in mind, I paid close attention to the structural, waterproofing, and architectural elements of Scottish and British construction during my recent trip across the pond. Actually, I would have been paying close attention anyway – Appreciating the nuances of architecture and structures has become a passion for me.

My walk around the grounds of Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott, was mind bending. I couldn’t help contrasting the 200-year-old slate roof on the late author’s palatial home with the 30-year asphalt shingles at my home in the San Francisco Bay area. Even the concrete and clay tile roofs of the 1970’s construction boom are failing en masse.

Longevity

Longevity. That word came to mind again and again. The stacked stone fences that crisscrossed the Scottish Borders are a timeless reminder that humans share space with subsequent generations while the land seems to share space – only with itself. I’m certain that some of those stones, stacked without mortar, were in place when the Americas were only a spec on

Columbus’ horizon.



In contrast, wooden community fences in most housing developments are slated for replacement within 20 years.

Survival

I sought out and found the cross section of a stone wall in a gated Abbotsford archway. The evidence of why these buildings survived three and four centuries or longer is evidenced there. Nothing about haste or production speed can be learned here. Only diligent attention to durability and immense patience. Stones laid 3-deep, course after course, with mortar engineered to breathe and allow humidity of daily life out of the building but shed and resist the blowing rain.

Today

Granted, many of the wood sills and windows were replaced in a recent renovation project.

Granted, the project was funded by a sizeable fortune.

Granted, labor was cheap.

But the fact remains – That even the homes and stores in the towns of the Scottish borders are made of stone with an eye to not only practicality and security, but also longevity.

Takeaway

The smaller of these 2 bridges was constructed by stonemasons - probably discussing the fact that the American colonies and some fella named Jefferson had just declared independence. 

The larger bridge…was built just a few decades later.

My takeaway?

Care more. Rush less.

Don’t settle for short-sighted compromises.

-Scott Swinton, CCM, CCIP