The 7^th annual Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival is back as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 19-22 August.

Sponsored by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and organised by the Scottish Traditional Building Forum, this year’s event focuses on the need to repair and maintain traditional buildings. 

The programme has developed over the years but core practical trade demonstrations continue with the National Federation of Roofing Contractors and Stone Federation GB both being there from the start. 

Other practical demonstrations have been brought into the programme and this year include painting & decorating, sash & case window demonstration, lime slaking, plastering & external render, and various talks (you can get the full list and book places here).

The Edinburgh Traditional Building Forum relies on volunteers to organise and deliver its programme in venues provided by Edinburgh World Heritage Trust and Architecture & Design Scotland.

This year’s event comes under Construction Scotland’s Inspiring Construction programme that aims to raise the profile of career oportunities in the construction industry and emphasise skills such as stonemasonry needed by the construction industry in Scotland.

Ian Hughes, CITB strategic partnerships director for Scotland, told Scottish Construction Now: “Edinburgh’s rich built heritage has long inspired people at home and abroad. The historic buildings along the Royal Mile are, for example, a wonderful testament to the quality of Scottish construction work. CITB is delighted to sponsor the Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival. It's an opportunity for people of all ages to appreciate the marvellous work of previous generations and to discover, via employers, trade bodies and a range of insightful seminars, the diverse career opportunities in construction today. Come along and be inspired.”

The timetable of events is as follows:

19 August

10.30am – Property Repair Seminar

• Property Repair Seminar – find out from traditional building experts how to keep your traditional home in well maintained and in good repair, plus guidance on working with your neighbours for common repairs such as those in Edinburgh’s beautiful tenements.

12 noon – Home Maintenance, what you can do yourself

• Home maintenance, what you can do yourself - talk by SPAB helping homeowners develop a maintenance programme to keep your home in a good state of repair at minimal cost and what to do when a larger repair is required.

1.30pm – Energy Efficiency of Traditional Buildings

• Energy Efficiency of Traditional Buildings - Historic Environment Scotland talk on appropriate energy efficiency measures for a traditional house. Traditional buildings have unique challenges for energy efficiency and this will provide the toolkit for appropriate steps to reducing energy consumption.

20 August

10.30am – Roof Slating Demonstration

• Traditional Roofing Slating Demonstration - A practical demonstration from the National Federation of Roofing Contractors. How repairs should be done. A home must we wind and watertight to be energy efficient and your roof is key to achieving this.

12 noon – Roof Leadwork Demonstration

• Roof Leadwork Demonstration – Practical demonstration from the National Federation of Roofing Contractors. Expert demonstration and guidance on lead burning and bossing. A home must we wind and watertight to be energy efficient and your roof is key to achieving this.

1.30pm – Stonemasonry Demonstration

• Stonemasonry Demonstration – A practical demonstration from Stone Federation GB. Expert demonstration and guidance on stone repairs and replacement. Highlighting the need to ensure correct stone, and mortar, selection and why this is so important.

21 August

10.30am – Sash & Case Window Demonstration

• Sash & Case Window Demonstration - Practical demonstration on the inner workings of a sash and case window from the Federation of Master Builders. See the inner working and how a tradesperson repairs and maintains them.

12 noon – Lime Render Demonstration

• Practical demonstration by Scottish Lime Centre Trust on the making and application of lime render. The slaking process of adding water, turning the traditional building material lime from calcium oxide (burnt lime or quicklime) into calcium hydroxide (slaked lime).

1.30pm – Traditional Plastering

• Practical demonstration on the making and application of traditional plaster by Will Napier and Fionn Blench. Finding out about the unique ingredients within traditional plaster and the importance of them and practical demonstration on how traditional plaster should be applied.

22 August

10.30am – Painting & Decorating Demonstration

• Painting & Decorating Demonstration - Practical demonstration on marbling and graining techniques from Nevin Decorators. See how a skilled tradesperson transforms a piece of MDF into looking like oak or marble. Needs to be seen to be believed.

12 noon – Dublin and Edinburgh’s Divergent Building Traditions Seminar

• Do you love Georgian architecture? Come and join Graham Hickey, Conservation Director of the Dublin Civic Trust, for a fascinating lecture exploring the architectural development of Edinburgh and Dublin, two world-renowned Georgian cities, and learn about the similarities and differences between these two international capitals.

1.30pm – Building Stones Geology Tour of Calton Hill

• Building Stones of Edinburgh Geology Walking Tour – A building stones tour of Calton Hill outlining how stone is formed and the importance of stone matching and bedding. Highlighting the stones, and their sources, used to build Edinburgh.