Traditional trades: Difference between revisions

'''Traditional Tradestrades''' (known also as '''traditional building trades''' and '''preservation trades''') is a loosely defined categorization of building trades who actively practice their craft in respect of [[historic preservation]], heritage conservation, or the conserving and maintenance of the existing [[built environment]]. Though traditional trade practitioners may at times be involved in new construction, the emphasis of the categorization is toward work on existing structures, regardless of their age or their historic value, with a specific interest in replication or conservation of the original results and craft techniques.

Building[[File:Timber tradesFraming commonlyCircular associatedSaw.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Modern astimber traditionalframers incorporate new technologies, like the circular saw shown here, to increase productivity and reduce labor costs and time.]] Traditional building trades commonly include [[masonry]], [[timber framing]], [[log building]], traditional [[Roofer|roofing]], [[upholstery]], [[carpentry]] and [[joineryjoiner]]y, sometimes [[blacksmithingplumbing]], [[plasterwork]], [[painting]], [[blacksmithing]], and ornamental metals.metal Traditionalworking trades([[Bronze and thebrass knowledgeornamental ofwork|Bronze and brass]]). In addition to "hands-on" processskills representand aknowledge resourceof tobuilding processes, traditional trade practitioners incorporate knowledge of historic preservation, tomaterials balancescience, againsthistoric thearchitecture, resourceand ofprocuring heritagereplacement structuresmaterials. withinContemporary thepractitioners builtof environment,traditional thetrades knowledgemust also avail themselves of materialsmodern sciencetechnologies, andcurrent pastmaterials architecturescience, and the21st availabilitycentury ofconstruction project materialsmanagement.

Traditional trades such as carpenters and timber framers; masons, plasterers, lime burners, and brick makers; painters; blacksmiths; and slate, metal, shingle, tile, and thatch roofers, are mythically said to practice a “dying” art. While it is true that some techniques of the past are not well enough understood, it is also true that these crafts have been practiced continuously all over the world without dying at all. Traditional trades not only restore and help to maintain buildings, but also stabilize priceless archaeological sites, and in doing so, they help us understand the techniques used at places like [[Cuzco]], [[Stonehenge]], and [[Angkor Wat]].{{Citation Thoughneeded|date=September the2010}} needSuch fortrades traditional trade practitioners isare not solely practiced for the conservation of monumental heritage sites and can as well be applied to savingconserve avernacular barnsites orsuch a sacredas loobarns.

The traditional trades focus on preservation of the knowledge of craft work specific to historic building technologies and traditional/non-traditional building materials. Traditional building materials and traditional trade technologies are commonly associated with a host of materials, but not limited to, stone, brick, [[terra cotta]], [[adobe]], cork, leather, timber and log, bamboo, thatch, [[slate]] and metal roofing, fine and vernacular carpentry, ornamental [[plaster]] ([[scagliola]]), [[stained glass]], window and door restoration, wood refinishing, painting, [[cast iron]] and [[wrought iron]]. In what may at times be considered non-traditional materials are found trades such as chandelier and lighting restoration where you have to be somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades with an understanding of electricity, and knowledgeable with properties and finishes of metals, glass, and optics. As an example of the mix of new and old materials, the art of restoration of mobile residential trailers requires a number of traditional trade skills associated with traditional and contemporary materials in a manner not dissimilar to those hand-work skills and preservation approaches required to restore an historic automobile, a bi-planebiplane, rocket ship or steam locomotive.

Traditional building technologies tend towards a closer relationship of the built environment to an in-practice understanding, interaction and use of [[natural resources]] and recycled or salvaged building materials than is common in the practice of modern and contemporary building technologies.

[http://www.buildingartscollege.us/01_college/index.html American College of the Building Arts]

[https://web.archive.org/web/20070510063100/http://www.nbss.org/home/index_flash.asp North Bennet Street School]

* In Europe are the Gewerbe Akademie in Rottweil Germany; Compagnons du Devoir in France, Telford College in Scotland, and masonry trades programs in Ireland.

* [http://scotlime.org/ SLCT] The Scottish Lime Centre Trust is a non-profit that educates the public and promotes the benefits of using traditional materials and techniques.

[[Category:ConstructionSkilled trades workerstradespeople]]