Precision refurbishment of buildings: A façade refurbishment case study

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop a systematic refurbishment design procedure that allows precision refurbishment and thus enables the preservation of existing structures and their component parts. Design/methodology/approach - The participatory research method was chosen and was used to develop and test a precision refurbishment procedure. This involved preparing the programming and design documents of an ongoing refurbishment project in cooperation with the designer. The actual refurbishment work was carried out using the documents developed in the study. Findings - The principal finding was that a thorough, objective analysis of the condition and functioning of the structures in question is essential for determining a precision refurbishment procedure of the type presented here. With the refurbishment design incorporated into the contract, including precise product specifications and drawings, the client will be in a strong position in relation to the contractor during the actual refurbishment process. The way in which the product specifications were presented in the refurbishment specification allows systematic and precise depiction of the content and focus of the refurbishment. At the same time, the level of detail in the product specifications can be easily "regulated". Originality/value - The paper offers a tested systematic method for drawing up precise and unambiguous refurbishment designs for building refurbishment projects.