NCPTT’s Architecture & Engineering program encourages research
and partnerships with organizations and institutions working to advance
preservation technology for buildings and other structures. The program has
taken part in numerous projects with significant potential impact on the
architecture and engineering fields:
Professional
Development Program for Engineers in Historic Preservation
NCPTT continues working to improve preservation training
opportunities for engineers. As part of the 2006 Summer Institute, Architecture
and Engineering offered Historic Materials and Building Pathology (June 6-10)
and Diagnostics Methodology & Treatment Strategies (June 12-16).
The Architectural Engineering Institute of the American Society
of Civil Engineers and the American Institute of Architects Historic Resources
Committee (AIA/HRC) provided continuing education units. Additional partners
once again included the Association for Preservation Technology International,
Northwestern State University, Cane River Creole National Historical Park, Cane
River National Heritage Area and the Association for the Preservation of
Historic Natchitoches.
In addition to preservation engineering training, the 2006
Summer Institute featured training in archeological prospection by David Morgan
and cemetery monument conservation by Mary Striegel.
APTI Annual Conference
Andy Ferrell participated in a one day NCPTT sponsored colloquium on Disaster Response and Preparedness at the Association for Preservation Technology International conference in Atlanta, Ga. Ferrell presented information about NCPTT’s response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Kirk
Cordell also presented at the symposium on the hurricanes’ impacts on the Gulf
Coast states.
Sustainable Historic Preservation
Architecture and Engineering continues researching sustainable
practices for historic preservation towards collecting a body of knowledge on
this emerging topic. The initial phase of the sustainability initiative has
involved attending conferences and facilitating informal conversations with
professionals on green topics and sustainable practices as related to historic
preservation. Ferrell chaired a session on sustainable preservation at the 2006
Rethinking Sustainable Construction: Next Generation Green Buildings
International Conference in Sarasota, Fla.
A&E Assistant
Sarah Jackson joined the program in a permanent position as an
architectural conservator on Oct. 1, 2006. Jackson came to NCPTT in June 2005 as
a graduate intern to continue the testing for the study on the durability of
traditional and modified limewash recipes. In Nov. 2005 she was hired as
conservation research assistant for the Materials Research Program. Along with
completing the testing for the limewash study she assisted in planning for the
Advanced Cemetery Workshop held in July 2006. Before coming to NCPTT she worked
as a graduate intern for the City of Savannah, Department of Cemeteries while
pursuing her M.A. in Historic Preservation from the Savannah College of Art and
Design. Her interest lies in preservation of historic structures and ways to
utilize them in today’s society.
MAHR Interns
A&E is overseeing the work of interns J.C. Rivers and Rebecca
Zarling, graduate students in the Master of Arts in Heritage Resources (MAHR)
program at NSU. Rivers and Zarling are using global positioning technology to
prepare an architectural survey to collect data related to the development of
the City of Natchitoches for the Cane River GIS, a Geographic Information system
developed by the Cane River National Heritage Area (CRNHA). A partnership
between NSU and the NCPTT created assistantships for Rivers and Zarling to
perform the survey work.
Summer Interns
A&E hosted three interns this summer: J.C. Rivers, a joint
intern with CRNHA; Alec Bennett, a Presidential Management Fellow and historian
for the National Cemetery Administration; and Nic Clark, a history undergrad
from Centenery College. Bennett and Clark participated in and supported the
summer engineering training and researched sustainable preservation and
preservation field schools, respectively. Rivers began the architectural survey
of Natchitoches detailed previously.
LSMSA Student Worker
Andrew Moore, a high school student at the Louisiana School for
Math, Science and the Arts (LSMSA), is gathering web resources about sustainable
design and smart growth issues related to historic preservation. These
resources, including websites, PDF documents and PowerPoint presentations will
be gathered online as part of the A&E website. Moore has worked with Ferrell to
investigate emerging green products, techniques and services, including
innovative insulation products and applications. LSMSA students are required to
undertake community service hours every semester and NCPTT has benefited greatly
by hosting a number of these students.
Preserve America Summit
Ferrell is a member of the panel formed to discuss Dealing with
the Unexpected at the Preserve America Summit in New Orleans, Oct. 19-20. He met
with fellow panelists in D.C. in August of this year for a preliminary
discussion and to make recommendations that will be discussed further at the
summit in New Orleans. Mrs. Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States and
Honorary Chair of the Preserve America initiative, in cooperation with
the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, will lead a national Preserve
America Summit to mark the 40th anniversary of the passage of the National
Historic Preservation Act. Summit participants will review the major components
of the national historic preservation program and present their considerations
designed to advance historic preservation programs and policy. In addition,
Summit participants will generate unique and innovative ideas for assisting
communities throughout the United States in developing the tools and processes
necessary for advancing historic preservation on a local scale.
Lee H. Nelson Hall Landscape Plan
NCPTT continues working with Steve Noel of Jeffrey Carbo
Landscape Architects & Site Planners in Alexandria, La, to implement a design
for the grounds of Nelson Hall. The proposed landscape plan combines an
understanding of the site’s historical development and aims to satisfy
contemporary needs. Kirk Cordell, Kevin Ammons and Andy Ferrell have worked
closely with Steve Noel. The design will be installed in 2006 after consultation
with the Louisiana SHPO.
Nelson Hall Improvements
In
an effort to meet its strategic goal of developing a world-class training
facility, NCPTT has undertaken several improvements to its headquarters at Lee
Nelson Hall. The NCPTT kitchen was reconfigured to facilitate catering and
better address staff needs and a new ADA compliant ramp was completed on the
northeast corner of the building. The ramp increases accessibility, improves
access to the elevator, and permits closure of the offices during off-hours
events. Kevin Ammons and Andy Ferrell coordinated efforts to implement these
projects, including consultation with the Louisiana SHPO on compliance issues.
Cooperative Agreements
Through a Fiscal Year 2006 cooperative agreement with the New
Jersey Institute of Technology, A&E will support the development of a two week
training program for the implementation of a four year preservation high school
curriculum. The training focuses on teaching teachers and education
administrators how to implement the preservation high school curriculum. The
training program will be presented in individual cities across the nation.
In another Fiscal Year 2006 cooperative agreement, Tulane School
of Architecture and NCPTT will produce, edit and publish a substantial body of
information pertaining to the frontline preservation work of Tarps New Orleans
to tarp historic structures in New Orleans immediately after Hurricanes Katrina
and Rita A&E is currently working on additional cooperative agreements for
Fiscal Year 2007 with US/ICOMOS for student exchanges and research, the
Association for Preservation Technology International for increased cooperation
on preservation technology research and training projects, and Louisiana State
University School of Architecture for the use of emerging technologies for the
efficient documentation of historic buildings and landscapes.
Preservation and Affordable Housing Program
A&E is continuing to explore the development of a program that
would involve the rehabilitation of small vernacular structures as affordable
and sustainable housing. The focus of the program would be to provide real world
preservation experience using existing and emerging technologies to research,
document and rehabilitate these resources. A number of professors from a variety
of schools have expressed interest and it would be useful to have a summit to
further develop this idea.