Heritage Work

Look, restoring old industrial buildings isn't about slapping on some paint and calling it heritage. It's about understanding what these structures meant to the people who built 'em, and figuring out how they can keep living and breathing in our modern world.

Our Approach to Preservation

We've spent years getting our hands dirty with heritage restoration, and honestly? Every project teaches us something new. The old builders knew their stuff - you just gotta listen to what the structure's telling you.

Investigation Phase

First thing we do? Shut up and look. Really look. We document every rivet, every weld mark, every repair someone made decades ago. Take material samples, check load paths, talk to anyone who remembers the building in its prime.

Sensitive Design

The trick is making new work that respects the old. We're not trying to fake history or pretend our additions were always there. Good intervention is honest - you can see where old meets new, but they shake hands like old friends.

Craft Execution

Then comes the real work. Finding craftspeople who still know how to work with old materials, matching welding techniques from the 1920s, sourcing steel that'll play nice with what's already there. It's detective work meets metalworking.

Project Transformations

See what happens when you respect the bones of a building

Historic warehouse before restoration
BEFORE
Restored heritage warehouse
AFTER

Granville Ironworks Revival

This 1912 foundry was basically a rust sculpture when we found it. Owner wanted to turn it into mixed-use space but didn't wanna lose the character - and man, did it have character.

We kept the original steel trusses, exposed 'em actually. They'd been hidden behind drop ceilings for 40 years. Reinforced where we needed to, but left the patina. Those bolt heads tell stories.

  • Original steel frame preserved & stabilized
  • Historic crane rails integrated as design feature
  • New steel additions using period-appropriate techniques
  • Adaptive reuse for modern commercial space

Completed: March 2024 | Heritage Designation: Municipal

Bridge structure before restoration
BEFORE
Restored heritage bridge
AFTER

False Creek Rail Bridge Conversion

City wanted to save this 1920s rail bridge but couldn't justify the cost until we pitched turning it into a pedestrian crossing. The bones were solid - just needed some love and a new purpose.

We documented every rivet pattern, matched the original steel specs, and brought in welders who understood hot-rivet construction. The new deck's modern, sure, but it sits on history.

  • Structural assessment & load recalculation
  • Period-accurate steel repair techniques
  • Contemporary pedestrian deck integration
  • Seismic upgrading while maintaining character

Completed: November 2023 | Heritage Designation: Provincial

Factory interior before restoration
BEFORE
Converted factory loft space
AFTER

Strathcona Cannery Adaptive Reuse

This salmon cannery hadn't seen workers since the '70s. The steel framework was fighting a losing battle with the salt air, but the structure had good bones underneath all that corrosion.

We brought in a metallurgist to help us figure out what could stay and what had to go. Ended up keeping about 70% of the original steel - more than we expected, honestly. The old-growth timber posts? Those were gonna outlive all of us.

  • Historic steel column restoration & protection
  • Original overhead crane system preserved
  • Industrial character maintained in loft conversion
  • Historic machinery integrated as sculptural elements

Completed: June 2024 | Heritage Designation: Municipal

Documentation Process

We're kinda obsessive about recording everything. Future architects are gonna wanna know what we did and why.

Historical documentation

Historical Research

Digging through archives, old photos, original drawings - anything that helps us understand the building's story.

3D scanning documentation

3D Laser Scanning

Tech meets tradition. We scan everything to millimeter accuracy, then figure out where the building's settled over the decades.

Material analysis

Material Analysis

Laboratory testing tells us what we're really working with. Old steel ain't always what the drawings say it should be.

Construction documentation

Construction Records

Photographing every stage of work. When someone asks in 50 years what we did, there'll be receipts.

Got an Old Building That Needs Some Attention?

We love this stuff. Whether it's a full restoration or just figuring out if your building's worth saving, let's talk. We've probably seen worse cases than yours - and made 'em work.

Start a Conversation

(604) 555-7823
studio@celtharionforgequint.info

Why Heritage Work Matters

Environmental Common Sense

The greenest building's the one that's already built. All that embodied energy in the steel, the concrete, the timber - it's already spent. Tearing it down and starting over? That's just wasteful, no matter how 'sustainable' your new building claims to be.

Cultural Memory

These buildings remember what Vancouver used to make, how people used to work. That foundry, that cannery, that rail bridge - they're not just structures. They're stories made of steel and stone, and once they're gone, something real disappears with 'em.

Craftsmanship Standards

Working with old buildings teaches you to build better. Those old-timers didn't have computers or fancy equipment, but they knew materials. Learning from their work makes us better architects, period.

Economic Reality

Done right, heritage restoration often costs less than new construction. You've already got the structure, the character, the location. Just gotta be smart about what you keep and what you upgrade.