Conservation of Buildings, Structures and Sites
- American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
- Association for Preservation Technology International
- Construction History Society of America
- Docomomo International
- The Getty Conservation Institute
- International Council on Monuments and Sites
- National Council of Structural Engineers Associations
- National Center for Preservation Technology and Training
Digital Data Capture for On-Site Investigations
Documenting existing conditions or design details in the field has traditionally been accomplished using pen and paper. New applications for digital data capture are helping architects, engineers, and building administrators to quickly deliver accurate survey, cost estimate, and construction documents.
- Tablet PC Annotation System, TPAS™
- TPAS demo
- Technology Meets History, Applicator, Late Summer 2013.
- Transformative Technology: Tablet PC software modernizes facility condition assessments
Properties Magazine, October 2012.
Facade Ordinance Inspections
12 American cities and the Canadian Province of Quebec have enacted façade inspection legislation requiring periodic hands-on inspections of tall buildings.
Click here for links to ordinance laws and reporting requirements for each of them.
Guastavino Tiles
Rafael Guastavino brought the technique of building self-supporting, thin structural tile vaults to the United States in the late nineteenth century. Hundreds of public and institutional buildings across the U.S., including such landmarks as Grand Central Station and Carnegie Hall, incorporated Guastavino tile ceilings and vaults.
- The Guastavino Project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Proceedings of the Construction History Society of America 3rd Biennial Meeting: Guastavino Vaulting: Past, Present, and Future
- How One Family Built America’s Public Palaces by Susan Stamberg, aired on NPR’s Morning Edition on April 29, 2013
- Interactive map of documented Guastavino projects
- Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company records, Columbia University Libraries
- Rafael Guastavino Jr. House, Bay Shore, New York
- Read more about Vertical Access’ research on Guastavino and investigations of Guastavino vaults
Industrial Rope Access and Alternatives to Scaffolding
Industrial rope access (IRA) is a technique using ropes and specialized hardware as the primary means of providing both work positioning and fall protection for qualified workers. Vertical Access employs IRA techniques to reach areas of buildings and structures that are otherwise difficult or impossible to access, as well as areas where IRA is the most cost-effective and efficient means of gaining hands-on access.
- Bibliography on Alternatives to Scaffolding
- Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians
- International Rope Access Trade Association
- ASTM International standard E2505 Standard Practice for Industrial Rope Access