Opening lecture – John Ochsendorf

Thu 7 October

The opening session was held at the Sherman Street Event Center, a historic building several blocks from the conference hotel.

The keynote speaker, John A. Ochsendorf, is a a structural engineer who works to preserve historic structures and to reinterpret traditional technologies for contemporary use. He directs a research program in historic masonry structures at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he is an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Architecture. Read the transcript of Robyn Williams’ 2006 ABC Radio interview with John.

John’s lecture, entitled Preservation Technology: Perils and Possibilities, was stirring stuff.

He identified a key peril for historic buildings and structures as being structural engineers who were unable to use contemporary design tools (developed for reinforced concrete and steel structures) to justify the structural adequacy of historic masonry structures, leading to the demolition or heavy-handed structural intervention with these structures.

John’s key response was that generally speaking, if a historic building or structure has stood up over an extended period of time, then this was a pretty good starting point for an assumption of safety.

As a materials scientist who has fought his battles in the past with structural engineers who were uncomfortable with the adequacy of structures I was working on, this felt like justification for my battles!

John identified three key reasons for structural engineers to intervene with historic buildings unnecessarily as:

• Fear
• Ignorance
• Money

John illustrated both sides of the equation with excellent examples, and then proposed a pathway for structural engineers:

1. Be humble – the builders knew at least as much as we know, and they probably knew more.
2. Assume structure is safe, then try to prove it.
3. Work in an interdisciplinary team to debate a range of solutions.

John outlined some new analytical methods that have been developed in the past few years that integrate traditional engineering analysis techniques with the power of digital visualisation – I could feel the historic preservation structural engineer sitting next to me twitching with enthusiasm to try some of these out!

John also talked about his work with Guastovino structural tile vaults, and offered to buy lunch for anybody who could identify a building with Guastovino vaults that he didn’t already know about!!

He proposed a generic approach to cracking in historic masonry:

1. Usually due to support movements that happened long ago.
2. If the cracks are new, monitor them in the first instance.
3. Main hazard is due to falling pieces, not the cracking and subsequent potential instability of the structure.
4. Avoid heavy stitching of the crack or reinforcement with large amounts of steel.

John also pointed out that there was much further work to do:

• Guidelines for structural engineers working with historic masonry are required
• Better training of structural engineers in working this field is required
• More analysis tools are needed
• Static problems are still being researched; not yet any real work on dynamic problems

I found John’s lecture to be an excellent keynote and starting point for the conference; I was inspired by some of his statements, and I look forward to the opportunity of sharing some of his ideas when I’m next working with structural engineers on historic masonry buildings.

David West

PS  John’s new monograph, Guastovino Vaulting: The Art of Structural Tile, is in the bookshops, and is a fantastic volume.  On my shopping list now!

Symposium: Sustainability = Stewardship

Thu 7 October

I attended the symposium entitled Symposium on Sustainability = Stewardship: Maintenance, Durability and Life Cycle held today.  Sponsored by the AIA Historic Resources Committee and the US General Services Administration (GSA), the symposium explored issues related to the sustainability and stewardship of existing buildings.   Why is conserving existing buildings so important to the environment?  What is the relationship between sustainability (current metrics) and existing buildings? What can we learn by examining the life cycle of buildings? The speakers were:

• Jean Carroon, FAIA, Goody Clancy, Boston, MA, USA
• Wayne Trusty, Athena Institute International, Merrickville, Ontario, Canada
• Elaine Gallagher Adams, AIA, Rocky Mountain Institute, Boulder, CO, USA
• Beth Savage, General Services Administration, Washington, DC, USA
• Caroline Alderson, General Services Administration, Washington, DC, USA
• Lance Davis, General Services Administration, Washington, DC, USA
• Les Shepherd, General Services Administration, Washington, DC, USA
• Patrick Loughran, FAIA, PE, LEED AP, Goettsch Partners, Chicago, IL, USA
• David Woodcock, FAIA, FSA FAPT, College Station, TX, USA

There were many excellent presentations throughout the day, and it is difficult to do them all justice in a short post.  I’ve decided to transcribe my jottings during David Woodcock’s overall summary of the day’s highlights – I apologise to the speakers for not being able to link their names to their contributions.

“Focussed on hope and change.”

“Need for a shift in our thinking from an assumption of consumption toward a wiser use of resources.”

“The different perspective offered by an economist provided a valuable insight.”

“Why don’t we have a log for our buildings?”

“New standards and codes are going to drive change.”

“Repurposing materials; focus on materials and assemblies.”

 ”The relationships between preservation and design – the lessons and the opportunities from historic places.”

“The world’s biggest energy source is efficiency (Amory Lovins) – so we should keep the buildings we’ve got while we can.”

“GSA capturing the idea of reflecting the quality of our nation.”

“Intriguing array of solutions and approaches demonstrated by the diversity of approaches to sustainability gains in GSA buildings across the country.”

“Where are the preservation mechanical engineers?”

“Heritage buildings have been tested over time; well-built historic buildings grew from a long tradition of building practices.”

“Firmness, commodity and delight.  Long life, loose fit and low energy.”

“Fresh air – a lovely idea.  Daylight.  Generous spaces.  A reference to the conference venue not quite managing to achieve any of these!”

“Sustainability matters.”

“Historic preservation – the curatorial management of the built world.  (James Marston Fitch)”

“Creation and curation go together.”

“The Athena effect – ‘battle on’. ”

Of course, there were many other insights, and I may get a chance to update the blog with more of these later.

David West

Australasian contingent

As this blog is likely to be an essentially antipodean perspective on the APT 2010 Denver conference, it is only fair to identify the attendees from the APT Australia Chapter (more news coming on our chapter status later).

Donald Ellsmore, Convenor APT Australia Chapter, is here, and is participating in the workshop on Cast Stone and Historic Concrete Rehabilitation.

Bill Jordan, Co-convenor APT Australia Chapter, is also attending, and lectured to the workshop on Foundations and Soils in Historic Preservation.

David West, Co-convenor APT Australia Chapter, is attending the Symposium on Sustainability = Stewardship: Maintenance, Durability and Life Cycle.  He also attended the APT International Board meeting as the APT Australia Chapter representative.

Ian Bowman, from New Zealand, is also attending the APT 2010 Denver conference.

Cheers
David West
APT Australia Chapter co-convenor

APT Denver 2010

The theme, Layers Across Time—Preserving a Diverse Western Heritage, was developed to evoke an appreciation of the rich heritage of the American West, spanning over 10,000 years, and exemplifying the westward development of the United States.

Founded in 1858 by gold prospectors, Denver experienced its first population boom between 1859 and 1893 due to mining and the arrival of the railroad. During this time Denver grew as a supply town for the mining areas and an agricultural and manufacturing center. Denver continued to grow, albeit slowly, in the first half of the twentieth century. Contributing to that growth in the 1940s was the location of the Denver Federal Center in the Denver suburb of Lakewood.

The next boom occurred during the 1970s and early ‘80s as a result of many regional and national energy companies locating their headquarters in the city. Several of downtown’s high-rises were constructed during that time. Denver boomed again in the 1990s and the downtown LoDo and Ballpark neighborhoods are excellent examples of historic preservation that took place in that decade. Larimer Square had already been preserved, beginning in the 1960s. All three of these neighborhoods are easily accessible from the conference hotel.

The conference will focus on the many layers Colorado and places beyond have experienced throughout history. Professionals from around the world will examine history and the built environment via materials, type of structures, patterns of growth and the future of preservation through sustainable design.

The Conference will also continue the APT tradition of setting the standard for preservation ideologies, to present the most current technologies to assist the preservation process, and to give voice to the international community for preservation findings. It is from this foundation that the ongoing discussion will continue on how to successfully link preservation and sustainability during the age of rapid climate change.

Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are available. Click here for details.

The Association for Preservation Technology International (APT) is a cross-disciplinary, membership organization dedicated to promoting the best technology for conserving historic structures and their settings. Membership in APT provides exceptional opportunities for networking and the exchange of ideas.

APT members, who hail from more than 30 countries, include preservationists, architects, engineers, conservators, consultants, contractors, craftspersons, curators, developers, educators, historians, landscape architects, students, technicians, and other persons directly involved in the application of methods and materials to maintain, conserve, and protect historic structures and sites for future use and appreciation.

The international, interdisciplinary character of APT—with its outstanding publications, conferences, training courses, awards, student scholarships, regional chapters, and technical committees—makes it the premier worldwide network for anyone involved in the field of historic preservation.

For more Information about APT, visit www.apti.org.

For more Information on the conference, please contact:
Registration: Tamiko Kinkade, Registrar, registrar@apti.org
Conference: Dana Saal, Conference Manager, dana@apti.org
Getty Bursary Recipient Information: Barbara Hale, Conference Associate, barbara@apti.org
Exhibit and sponsor: Dana Saal, Conference Manager, dana@apti.org
Hotel: Dana Saal, Conference Manager, dana@apti.org
Membership: Nathela Chatara, APT Administrative Director, info@apti.org

Purpose of this blog

This blog has been established to provide a forum for reports from the APT Denver 2010 conference.  It is intended to enlist several attendees at the conference to provide regular reports on the sessions they attend, the events they participate in and even stories about the people they’ve met!