'built.org.uk' is a pretty simple website: it offers a growing gallery of photographs of British buildings, some personal artwork, several films and a diary of speaking engagements, compiled by me, Dr Jonathan Foyle. Historic architecture is my thing: I draw buildings, photograph them, fundraise for them, write about them, talk about them, and occasionally explain them on television programmes, like BBC2's 'Climbing Great Buildings' (2011 Broadcast Award Best Daytime Series). I've also had the privilege to have worked on the conservation and presentation of sites like Hampton Court, Canterbury Cathedral and Stirling Castle, and now serve as CEO of World Monuments Fund Britain on a range of fascinating historic sites (it's a membership-based body, and you're welcome to join to visit, see work in progress and come to lectures). I'm also proud to act as Patron of the North East's Heritage Skills Initiative in my spare time. I’d like to share some of that experience.

Occasionally, I come across the idea that architecture is esoteric or a specialist interest topic. But it's our human habitat, and it seems to me that not being curious about buildings is like a bird not being interested in nests, or fish in water. Understanding buildings past and present can enrich our lives, at home, work and play.

After an era of unparalleled destruction, many of us view the degradation or loss of the historic environment as a cause for regret, and it's true that preservation is very rarely looked back on as a mistake. It's also well proven that urban regeneration starts with the renaissance of historic buildings and spaces boosting the economy, and that historic properties hold their value well, whilst houses bereft of their period details are usually less saleable.

So conservation and reuse makes sense, and spreading the word to appreciate and enjoy our historic buildings and places can only help look after what we have, putting long-term care before short-term profit. To get more involved, four million of us in the UK have joined heritage organisations and interest groups.
 

Yet historic buildings remain under pressure. Seeking funds for the rescue of threatened or underused buildings requires the estabishment of a trust, a potentially complex process which can be guided by the advice of the Association of Preservation Trusts and the Asset Transfer Unit. The help from government could be greater: today, full VAT is applicable on work to repair old buildings, but not on new construction- this penalises the custodians of old buildings and needs to be addressed.

There's also the issue of environmental upgrading, which shouldn't be scary. There's certainly great virtue in living leaner, but historic buildings are more efficient than commonly supposed. Sometimes, this has been used to justify condemnaton and demolition, but what could be 'green' about destroying and dumping the embodied energy in well-constructed existing buildings, only to quarry, manufacture and transport tons of new materials, or even in replacing repairable timber windows with poisonous and ugly uPVC? Rather than demolish and rebuild, there are much better options for upgrading. And there's lots of advice available. Mine is to wear an extra jumper on occasion, or even the kind of unattractive fleece that climbers seem to go for (see 'On Location').

Do have a look around built.org.uk as a resource for supporting your interest - you may find a film of interest, or an image of an unfamiliar place, a picture of a construction detail, a useful photo or drawing of a building for your studies, some behind-the-scenes photos of a TV series in 'On Location' or perhaps come across nerdy things like joggled lintels or squinches that will at least improve your Scrabble score. Please- use it as you will.