“Materials used before the 1960s were produced to very different standards to what they are today. At the time it seemed like there was an unlimited supply of these natural resources, particularly with timber”, says Chas Dale.

A lot of the timber today is simply not milled anywhere in the sizes, lengths and species that builders had access to 30 years ago. Today to achieve the same sizes builders have to resort to engineered timber, which simply doesn’t have the same aesthetic appeal and is filled with chemical compounds.

Bricks too were made very differently using coal fired ovens that gave them a different colour and texture compared to today’s homogenise bricks that are made in gas fired ovens. Windows and doors were made using materials, methods and tooling that just cannot be replicated today, some do come close but the same traditional craftsmanship is hard to find these days and usually cost prohibitive.

Rather than see these beautiful materials go to landfill, they can be salvaged, recycled and enjoyed for decades to come, blended in with contemporary architecture and today’s products.

OGL’s preference is for design that has a look of the past constructed in the most modern ways, engineered not only for durability and quality but for warmth and appeal.

The industrial look is the biggest trend in design today and recycled materials such as riveted steel beams and columns will give new buildings add an instant industrial feel.