Students from the university visited a Grade A-listed mansion house near Edinburgh, to see renovation work being carried out by the building consultancy team at Galbraith.

The visit provided a perfect opportunity for the building surveying students to see a live construction project and skills such as underpinning, traditional slating, and major stonework repairs.

Grant Sinclair is a lecturer and programme lead for the honours degree in building surveying at Edinburgh Napier University.

He said: “We are grateful for the opportunity to bring students to a construction site to see hands-on demonstrations and gain some practical experience of some of the processes and skills they will be using when they start their careers, particularly the complexities of renovating a traditional building.”

James Towers of the building consultancy team at Galbraith said: “This is a productive partnership with Edinburgh Napier University to assist students with their studies. As our building consultancy division continues to grow, we have recently recruited several students who have studied at Napier. The university course covers everything the students were able to see on site, but a visit like this is a great way to show them how these techniques are implemented in a real-world scenario, providing a practical view of construction.”

James Towers provided some initial background to the property and the works being undertaken, explaining the involvement of Galbraith and how the project has developed. The contractor then gave the group a health and safety presentation followed by a tour of the development, showing the different skills required on a building of this type.

Grant Sinclair added: “Edinburgh Napier University really appreciates and values the continued support given by Galbraith, all the other firms, building surveying practices and guest speakers which enrich the whole student experience during our students’ time at university.”

Galbraith hopes to undertake more of these site visits with Edinburgh Napier in the future, to encourage students and promote interest and growth in the profession.

The Galbraith building consultancy team has completed a wide range of projects across Scotland, from factories and warehouses to cinemas, office buildings, hotels, leisure facilities and Highland lodges.

In addition to project management and contract administration roles, Galbraith also undertakes a wide variety of professional work ranging from acquisition building surveys, dilapidations, schedules of condition, reinstatement cost assessments for insurance purposes and planned maintenance.