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Publication - Advice and guidance

Guide to Conversion of Traditional Buildings

Published
10 August 2026
From
Director of Cladding Remediation
Directorate
Culture and External Affairs Directorate
Topic
Building, planning and design
ISBN
9781807753788

This guidance provides a technical insight into the conversion of Scotland’s traditional buildings, balancing building regulation compliance with conservation. It promotes a holistic, risk-based approach to technical compliance in the performance of traditional buildings.

Supporting documents

Fire – Further reading

  • BRE (1988) Digest 208, Increasing the fire resistance of existing timber floors
  • BRAC (2021) Policy Paper Building Regulations Advisory Committee: golden thread report.
  • Chambers, W. Soane, J. Wyatt, J. & Stanhope, E. (1792) The Resolutions of the Associated Architects of 1792, a Report. The Building Act 1774 (formally known as the Fires Prevention (Metropolis) Act 1774)
  • The Commission Delegated Regulations (EU) 2024/1399 on the conditions for classification, without testing, of solid wood panelling and cladding regarding their reaction to fire
  • Door and Hardware Federation and the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (Issue 5 2024) Code of Practice: Hardware for fire and escape doors
  • Edwards v National Coal Board [1949] 1 All ER 743 (CA)
  • Fire (Scotland) Act 2005
  • Harrison. R & Miles. S (2002) BRE project report 79204: Smoke shafts protecting fire-fighting shafts; their performance and design BRE Electronic Publications
  • Historic England, Emery, S & Institution of Fire Engineers (2021) Guide to the Fire Resistance of Historic Timber Panel Doors
  • Historic Scotland (2010) Guide for Practitioners 7 Fire Safety management in Traditional Buildings
  • Historic Scotland (1997) Technical Advice Note (TAN) 11 Fire protection measures in Scottish historic buildings.
  • Hurst, B.L. (1999) BSc, ACGI, CEng, FIStructE, FICE: The Structural Engineer Volume 77/No 10 18 May 1999 An iron lineage
  • IFEG (2005) International Fire Engineering Guidelines
  • Litte, R.F. FIAS; FIBCO; ARSH; FFB. Chief Building Inspector Bath City Council (1967) Fire test on a standing Georgian dwelling, No 12 Chatham Row, Bath.
  • Schoenefeldt, H (2021) Rebuilding the Houses of Parliament : David Boswell Reid and Disruptive Environmentalism Routledge
  • Scottish Government (2026) Building Standards Technical Handbook
  • Scottish Government Building Standards: The Procedural Handbook
  • Scottish Lime Centre Trust. Generic specifications for lime mortar
  • Sprinkler Systems for New Domestic Developments Supplementary Guidance Relevant Application Type: Water Connection/ Facilitation Available
  • The Structural Engineer, (Volume 62, Issue 12, 1984) Historic Buildings and Fire: Fire Performance of Cast-Iron Structural Elements.
  • UK Government Web Archive

Contact

Email: buildingstandards@gov.scot

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