Change of use: how Dundee buildings have been adapted, saving embodied carbon, and yet retain a sense of place and purpose.

Thursday 21 November 2024, 7.00 pm

Talk by Mark Watson of Historic Environment Scotland

(Joint event with Dundee Historic Environment Trust)

Reduce, re-use, recycle: a green city must use well the assets it has before building anew. How Dundee has adapted to changing economics and through good planning (yes, by Dundee City Council), much of its best historic architecture gives new vitality to the City of Design. Some buildings you’d scarcely notice, or wouldn’t miss until they are gone, and others are startlingly transformed. How that happened will be revealed in this illustrated talk.

A Dundonian, Mark Watson had the unique opportunity to negotiate and approve changes to the historic environment of Dundee over 14 years, added to four years listing buildings, for what is now Historic Environment Scotland (Industrial Heritage team, External Relations and Partnerships Directorate). He now works on industrial and engineering heritage in Scotland. The talk will cover those and other building types. He worked on managing change to historic buildings and areas across Scotland and is convenor of the Scotland branch of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC). He wrote the nomination for New Lanark’s inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List and parts of that for the Forth Bridge. He researches textile history, industrial architecture and engineering heritage.

This talk will be the first of new series organised by Dundee Civic Trust jointly with Dundee Historic Environment Trust.

The talk will take place in the Dundee Art Society Roseangle Gallery, starting at 7.00pm (19:00).  As always, non-members and guests will be very welcome and there will be the opportunity afterwards to chat over a glass of wine, kindly supplied by McNicoll & Cairnie, Wine Merchants.