Historic Preservation Technology

This introduction to historic preservation goes well beyond the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and shows how wood, stone, masonry, and metal were used in the past and how adaptive re-use can be employed to bring modern amenities to historic structures. The book covers all aspects of the exterior and interior building fabric, including windows, roofing, doors, porches, and electrical and mechanical systems for both residential and small-scale commercial buildings. Richly illustrated with photographs showing typical elements of historic buildings, decay mechanisms, and remediation techniques, the book also contains a variety of useful case studies and features a companion Website that offers dozens of additional images and resources.

"Structural Investigation of Historic Buildings: A Case Study Guide to Preservation Technology for Buildings, Bridges, Towers, and Mills provides a practical guide for consulting structural engineers and others on dealing with issues unique to historic structures. Emphasizing structural evaluation and condition assessment based on sound preservation philosophy, but without burdening the reader with tedious calculations, the book discusses the role of the structural engineer in the evaluation and preservation process and discusses such topics as structural safety, analysis, and conservation."--Publisher's website.

Archaeological remains and historic structures and landscapes are important tangible reminders of the United States' rich and diverse cultural heritage. In recent years the stresses on these unique, nonrenewable cultural resources have increased dramatically. This report presents the primary findings of an assessment requested by the House of Representatives Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. Focus is on the applications of preservation technologies rather than preservation disciplines. The study examines the current use of preservation technologies and identifies research and development needs. It also explores how improvements in Federal policy and implementation can make more effective use of technologies appropriate for managing this country's prehistoric and historic cultural resources. Appendices are: (1) "Cultural Resources Management Laws and Regulations"; (2) "Documentation and Conservation of Rock Art"; (3) "Registration and Private Ownership of Archaeological Objects"; (4) "National Register Criteria from the Introduction to: 'How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation'"; (5) "National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form"; (6) "U.S. National Park Service Cultural Programs"; (7) "Advisory Council on Historic Preservation"; (8) "National Trust for Historic Preservation"; and (9) "National Building Museum." (BZ)

Technology transfer has played an increasingly important role in historic preservation during the latter half of the twentieth century, a situation attested to by the undertaking of an important congressional study in 1986 that assessed the role of federal agencies in the field. In this book leading researchers update the earlier findings and contribute state-of-the-art reviews and evaluations of technological progress in their areas of expertise.