Building on our past

Combining the ingenuity of our ancestors with the latest advances in technology
and ecological awareness

In "Building On Our Past", Peter Hancock looks at the best practices from our rich architectural heritage and considers the incorporation of modern innovations. The aim is to create beautiful yet thermo-efficient and sustainable new buildings.  He shows how centuries of technological developments can often be improved with the latest materials, inventions and construction techniques, to be used in modern, sustainable and ecologically sensitive structures.

Designed for a non-specialist audience, this book aims to provide an overview of what can be, and has been achieved, so that home-builders and developers may formulate ideas and plans before consulting professional designers and architects.  It looks at practical ways in which both new and old ideas can be incorporated into 21st century buildings. 

The choice of materials and  construction methods continues to open up fresh and exciting possibilities. There has never been a greater awareness of our environmental responsibilities, or a better time to act.