Building Advice Centre at Northumbria University

Got a worrying crack in the wall?  Is that damp patch getting worse? Are you concerned how energy efficient your home is?  Or are you pondering over a loft conversion?  If you are thinking about getting professional advice about your property, help may be available from the Building Advice Centre at Northumbria. Our students can visit, evaluate and provide feedback on your issue, to help you decide on next steps.

The centre, now in its eighteenth year of operation, is a free service open to the public, run by final-year Building Surveying students and supervised by experienced staff in the Department of Architecture and Built Environment. Many varied projects have been undertaken in this time and feedback from the clients involved has been very encouraging. You can use the student’s report to decide if your issue needs the services of an independent Chartered Architect and/or Chartered Surveyor.

External projects enable students, under the guidance of tutors, to practise skills learned on their degree course.  Most of the work relates to housing problems such as condensation, rising damp and feasibility studies for home improvements. However, larger projects involving churches and community buildings can also be undertaken. Here's what Building Advice Centre staff have to say:

This is a fantastic opportunity for students to get out into the community and develop expertise. The students and our external examiners believe that this module provides an educational experience that cannot be replicated in the normal classroom situation. The Building Advice Centre provides an excellent opportunity for the University to engage with the local community.

The Centre will again operate over the whole academic year with the first projects commencing in October. Generally projects are considered on a first come-first served basis although location of the property and the type of work to be carried out also has an effect on whether the project can be undertaken.

Around 50 projects will be required for the students to undertake so if you have any matter that you think is suitable for consideration then please contact the Centre. Friends and family of University staff can also take advantage of the service so if you are aware of any problems or queries that they may have with their properties then please ask them to contact the Centre.

To find out more about the Building Advice Centre contact 0191 243 7805, internally on ext. 7805 or e-mail your query to: kenneth.kelly@northumbria.ac.uk