What is CARE?
The Conservation Accreditation Register of Engineers (CARE) was established jointly by the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). CARE identifies structural and civil engineers who have demonstrated a real passion for the conservation of historic structures and sites.
The comprehensive registration process is used to determine that applicants have the range of skills and knowledge necessary to work with old buildings, in sympathy with the methods and material used in their construction.
CARE at Narro
We benefit from having four CARE engineers on our senior team, more than any other engineering practice in Scotland, and equal to any other in the UK.
David Narro – our founder, David has over 40 years of engineering expertise, including a range of historic and conservation projects. He has provided his knowledge and insight through lecturing and mentorship of more junior team members.
Ben Adam – Narro’s Managing Director, Ben has been a CARE engineer since 2016. During that time, he has directed some of the most significant conservation projects in Narro’s experience portfolio.
Steve Wood – our Technical Director of Conservation, Steve is a primary source of knowledge and expertise within the Practice. He has taken the lead on multiple conservation projects. In addition, he has provided the benefit of his skills and experience to countless others.
Lily Erskine – working between Edinburgh and London, Lily is a Senior Associate and Section Leader, having gained CARE accreditation in 2023. Throughout her career, she has developed a keen interest in all things conservation-related, and continues to progress her knowledge and understanding.
CARE Experience
Throughout the Practice’s history, we have provided engineering input on some fascinating and important structures across the country, including:
- Glasgow School of Art
- National Museum of Scotland
- National Gallery of Scotland
- The Burrell Collection
- Dumfries House
- Fairburn Tower
- And many more
We’ve worked extensively with local authorities, cultural heritage organisations, and historic estates across the UK. Protecting and preserving the rich history of our built environment is a key focus of our CARE work.
Wider Conservation Credentials
As well as our CARE engineers, the Practice also has two former SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) Lethaby Scholars. Along with Steve Wood, Katie Hood is our most recent SPAB scholar.
The SPAB Scholarship Programme is an intensive nine-month full-time commitment. The Scholars travel around the UK visiting ongoing conservation and heritage projects. During that time, they observe, experience, and debate traditional techniques. Moreover, in many cases, they actually practice these techniques and sympathetic repairs in situ across projects of a broad range in age, size, and styles. All of this is guided by building conservation specialists.
There are very few really specialists in our field - historic, quirky, old buildings, private (sometimes challenging) clients - and Narro is one of only two or three we would trust.
Ian McKee,
Managing Director
GLM
