National Register of Historic Places Restoration: Building Science, Structural, and Budget Challenge

This will be a case study of the restoration of Dr. Ferguson’s Office, a diminutive 1870’s French Second Empire brick building.  The restoration won a Capital District Chapter of the NYSSPE Project of the Year Award, an Adirondack Architectural Heritage Preservation Award and a Preservation League of New York State’s Excellence in Preservation Award.

The presentation will offer insights into a wide range of engineering considerations associated with the restoration of an historic structure including municipal regulation navigation, building code compliance, temporary stabilization, building demolition, masonry repairs, wood framing, thermal/moisture, mechanical systems, budget constraints as well as public sentiment and social considerations.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understanding structural characteristics of spray foam as a building system component
2. Understanding the properties of Mineral Paint in order to minimize brick damage during freeze/thaw cycles.
3. Understanding hardware techniques to stabilize brick walls.
4. Understanding building jacking principles.
5. Understanding various building science considerations associated with restoring an historic building (under slab vapor barrier to control rising damp, humidity, water management, air changes, etc.)