Posts Tagged ‘Preservation’

Lean and Green: Silver to Gold

Monday, November 1st, 2010

Originally designed for LEED Silver certification, one of Berglund Construction’s newest projects is now anticipating LEED Gold.

Construction of the International Training and Apprenticeship Center for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 697 in Merrillville, Ind., began in September 2009 and is scheduled to be completed Dec. 1. Like the IBEW itself, which is dedicated to technology and training in alternative energy sources, the facility is committed to sustainability through and through. Green initiatives include:

The roof, which functions as an outdoor classroom for the apprentices who installed the solar panels, and who now monitor and maintain the system.

  • Preservation of much of the native habitat around the facility, with the assistance of the Save the Dunes Council of Northwest Indiana.
  • Extensive use of recycled and locally sourced materials during construction.
  • Use of wood-based construction materials harvested from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified forests.
  • Plug-ins for hybrid and electric vehicles.

Other green features include indoor air quality maintenance and the use of low-emitting materials, paving the way for a thoroughly green facility.

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Six things you might not know about restoration and preservation

Monday, July 5th, 2010

Thanks to restoration and preservation techniques and practices, many of the world’s most historic buildings get a new lease on life. Here are a few interesting facts about restoration that you probably didn’t know …

  • Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site in Newburgh, N.Y., was the first property in the United States that was acquired and preserved for historic reasons.
  • In 1948, the White House was in danger of collapsing. The solution: Three years of extensive reconstruction and restoration.
  • Acid rain – a major cause of masonry deterioration – was first observed in the 19th century, when forests located downwind of large industrial areas showed signs of deterioration, but was not considered a serious environmental problem until the 1970s, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
  • Pigeons and ivy are two of the lesser-known destructive forces in the deterioration of older brick structures.
  • The Historic Sites Act of 1935 declares that it is “a national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings, and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the people of the United States.”
  • The Tax Reform Act of 1976 removed the incentive to demolish older buildings to encourage historic preservation.

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