Uncover the histories, stories, materials and nature waiting to be discovered in a terraced house in Ladywood as we learn to audit together.

How can we prepare our homes, streets and neighbourhoods for the challenges and possibilties ahead by first caring for and learning from what is already there?

Join for a practical day on site as we conduct a pre-deconstruction audit of the Retrofit House space at 26 Summerfield Crescent together.

What is a pre-deconstruction audit?

A pre-deconstruction audit is the process of identifying and documenting materials within a building before deconstruction or demolition.

What are they for?

Identifying opportunities for reuse, i.e. how material may be repurposed and used again

Creating strategies for how those materials can be removed and stored carefully for reuse to be possible

Challenging demolition-by-default and the linear material economy mindset, which too readily treats valuable resources as waste

What will the process involve?

Taking place Tuesday 10th—Wednesday 11th November, we will explore this terraced house layer by layer: from its structure and fabric through to its fixtures and fittings, alongside the plants, insects and other life that live in and around it.

Building on our learnings from the pre-deconstruction audits of the Depot (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/design-for-reuse-pre-deconstruction-audit-16-tickets-1988893568202) and Factory (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/co-builders-pre-deconstruction-audit-of-the-factory-building-16-tickets-1992653504272) buildings of the Neighbourhood Public Square site earlier this year, this process will be supported by Ben Bosence of Local Works Studio (https://localworksstudio.com/), Birmingham-based Entomologist Aaron Bhambra (https://nationalheathlandconference.org.uk/aaron-bhambra-confirmed/), repairers Phil Russell and Yejide Adeoye (https://yacreates.com/), and project architects Huma Mahmood and Sanju Jitendhar from Material Cultures (https://materialcultures.org/),

Using auditing as a shared method, we will observe and document what we find by measuring, drawing, taking photos, samples, and having conversations.

Why are we are doing this?

The audit will build a collective picture of how the house is made, what it is made from, its current condition, and the nature it supports.

This will help inform the next stages of design for Retrofit House as a common house for the street, and how we approach what can be retained, repaired, recovered, reused or reimagined here together.

We will also learn what the condition of one terrace house can teach us about many others, and practice the skills and roles we can play to repair and care for our homes, streets and neighbourhoods.

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What To Expect

When you arrive, head for the front room of 33 Link Road to meet the team and pick up a welcome drink from 9.30am

We will begin the day at 10am at 33 Link Road, heading over to 26 Summerfield Crescent at key points through the day

The two days of the audit will be different, and build upon one another, moving from observation and recording through to discussion and collective sensemaking

A tasty vegetarian lunch will be served on both days to fuel your findings!

Some tasks will be hands-on, others more observational, with space for conversation and reflection throughout the day. All contributions are valuable

There will be four different working groups for you to choose from, looking at different aspects of the building.

Building Survey Group — We will read and record this building’s condition, including its integral structures, from damage and moisture to past repairs and their causes, to learn what care it needs and how repair can enable retentions for our homes

Material Archive Group — We will uncover and document what this home is made of, how its materials change over time and what that means for their recovery and reuse, alongside the social and ecological stories they carry about how we build within our current construction systems.

More-Than-Human Group — Alongside a local entomologist (someone who studies insects), we will observe and record who and what already lives in and around this home, learn what these species reveal about the conditions that sustain them, and explore how retrofit can protect, enhance and create habitats for our more-than-human cohabitants.

Fixtures & Fittings Group — Focused on the fixtures, fittings and smaller components of a home, how do we record these details, can we will look to understand what they are made of and what value they hold, and explore what it would take to give them another life through retention, reuse, repair or remanufacture.

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Is This For Me?

Whether you are an immediate neighbour on Link Road, or reimagining retrofit where you are; interested to learn new skills, bring the ones you already have, or are just following your curiosity, you will be warmly welcome to learn alongside us.

This session is for people aged 18+ due to the nature of the site and

Description supplied by the event organiser.