The restoration of the tower of Independence Hall in Philadelphia has been a fascinating example of the National Park Service’s fierce dedication to preserving the building’s structural elements while supplementing and strengthening the historic site with modern building materials.
Condominium owners take great pride in the buildings they call home. When repairs are needed, they’re inclined to undertake painstaking research before approving the contractors and building materials used for those repairs.
Imagine a shopping mall that doesn’t need air conditioning, even in the height of summer; a restaurant patio that can stay open year-round; or a beautiful office atrium that’s open to sunny skies with a soaring glazed roof that opens when the weather’s nice - but closes up at the first sign of rain.
Michael Farrell would probably be the first to admit that it takes a very patient, dedicated person to own and maintain a home that’s on the National Registry of Historic Places. As the 30-year resident owner of the Art House (formerly the Elisha Taylor House), a 139-year-old Gothic Revival home in Detroit’s Brush Park Historic District, Farrell has embarked on several remodeling projects.
In these financially strapped times, people are getting creative with their finances. Lake Tahoe Unified School District has been doing the same, with incredible results for its students and community. After putting together a District Facilities Master Plan in December 2007, the district prepared for a bond which passed in September of 2008.
Something new may be learned from nearly every retrofit roofing project. Every roofing project is completed with different materials in different places on different structures and often with different clients. The renovation of the roof and parapet of the Green-Meldrim House in historic downtown Savannah, Ga., is one project that provided more than its share of lessons.
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