National Center of Preservation Technology and Training

Stacey Henderson, Summer Internship 2012Natchitoches Louisiana

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Abstract

Power Point Presentation

Supervisor Evaluation

Photographsand Informational Interviews

Additional Projects

Limewash Project

Energy Audit

Contents

1Abstract

This summer I worked at the National Center of Preservation Technology and Training in Natchitoches Louisiana. The focus of this office is to advance the use of technology and science in the field of preservation. They organize workshops and conferences all over the country, and are focused on providing educational resources and events for the public with regards to preservation and conservation of historic resources. The NCPTT is an interdisciplinary office with departments focused on Architecture and Engineering, Archaeology, Materials Conservation, and Landscapes. They have an established internship program that focuses on giving students in these fields hands on experience, as well as helping to develop professional skills such as presenting to the public.

As the architecture and engineering intern, my main tasks included the opportunity to work on two separate projects, one that focused on lab work, and one that was out in the field performing an energy audit. The lab work was self directed and mostly individual work, as I was expected to read what has been done in the past to catch myself up on the project, and problem solve to the best of my ability as I continued the work. For the energy audit I researched how to use the equipment and perform basic tasks on my own, and that project was executed under the supervision of my supervisor. Overall, I was exposed to a lot of new tools, technology, and methodologies that helped enhance my understanding of how technology and science can be useful in the field of historic preservation.

This internship program at NCPTT is well establised, lasts ten weeks, and usually there is at least one intern hired to every department in the office. In addition to the two main projects, there there are other requirements and activities the interns participate in to enhance the overall experience. We were expected to prepare a half hour lunch-time lecture on a topic of our choosing, and we presented it to the entire office as well as memebers of the Cane River Creole National Park. The NCPTT also hosts a “Preservation in Your Community Day” towards the end of the summer. We all prepared posters to present to the public on the work we had been doing all summer at the office. These tasks and events helped us enhance our professional skills and experience, and provided a well rounded internship experience.

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Power Point PresentationExploring Natchitoches Louisiana

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Power Point PresentationInternshp Projects

Power Point Presentation

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Exploring the South and Southern Architecture

Limewash Project

Cane River Creole National Park

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Limewash Project

The Project:

The NCPTT has been working in conjunction with Cane River Creole National Park on a study of the durability of traditional and modified limewash formulations. During this study they have been testing a variety of limewash recipies for possible use on historic structures located in the Cane River Creole National historical Park in central Louisiana.

Cane River Creole National Park:

CARI represents more than 200 years of plantation life and is home to more that 42 historic vernacular structures. The buildings they have been focusing on are at Oakland Plantation, and the outbuildings at Magnolia Plantation. Most of the buildings in the study are made of brick and bousillage- clay or mud mixed with moss and hair and packed around sticks.

In 2009 CARI wanted to apply limewash to many of the historic structures at the park. They wanted to identify a lasting, low-cost limewash that could be applied in approximately three layers, and would last three to five years. In collaboration with NCPTT they developed a program for testing limewash on weathered wood, rough sawn wood, historic handmade brick, and modern brick.

Work Completed So Far:

So far, circular samples where made of modern brick, and historic brick salvaged from some of the buildings. Many samples where needed for the various tests to see which limewash recipie is most durable, and how many layers it takes to apply to the brick. Intensive note taking by past interns has documented the process of applying the layers of limewash, and which ones had trouble and which ones apply better.

Many of the modern brick samples have been weatherized and tested to see how durable they are on the brick. My job this summer was to learn about this project, and continue the testing of the historic brick so final decisions can be made.

Background

Limewash Project

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What I learned about Limewash

Historic Use

Limewashes have been used for a long time as surface finishes on the interior or exterior of buildings. Limewash provided a layer of protection from the elements such as wind and water that weathered building exteriors. Limewash also provides a harder and more ridgid layer to softer materials such as hand made brick.

Properties

The basic ingredients are lime and water, which were readily available in every community. Additives were commonly used and varied between communities. Limewash slowly dries, and as it does so, it reacts with the carbon dioxide in the air resulting in it carbonating and creating a tough finish. Limewash can be difficult and more time consuming to apply that modern day paint, and requires sufficient time for drying between applications of layers.

Photographic documentation before and after undergoing various tests.

Limewash Project

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Using the QUV

Some historic brick samples needed to undergo weather testing, which was done in the QUV. The NCPTT has two QUV machines, and they are intended to simulate natural weather patterns and impacts. The samples are put in the holders, and put in the QUV for one month which is supposed to simulate about 6 months of weather. The samples are exposed to UV, dark, and rain or condensation cycles.

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Journal Notes

Limewash Project

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Limewash Project

Journal Notes

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Limewash Project

Journal Notes

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Limewash Project

Journal Notes

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Limewash Project

Journal Notes

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Limewash Project

Journal Notes

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Limewash Project

Journal Notes

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Additional Tools

Limewash Project

The NCPTT has two labs on site, and the brick samples needed testing before and after being put in the QUV. This was important to track how the weatherizing affected the color, appearance, or weight of the samples indicating their durability qualities. I was taught how to take proper photographs, accurately weigh the samples, and test the color with the coloromiter.

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Finish QUV Testing

There are some modern brick samples that were put in the QUV after my internship, and those where the last samples of the project that needed to go in the QUV.

ASTM Testing

After going in the QUV, some modern and historic brick samples need to undergo ASTM standard testing. ASTM standards are used so that the results can be relatable to other similar tests and experiments.

Tape Test: This test involves making cuts into the limewash in an X shape on the sample, and applying a specific weight tape to the surface. The adhesiveness can be rated depending on how much limewash is removed with the tape.

Abraision Test: This test is intended to see how durable a surface material is with objects or things hitting it. A tube with sand is placed above the sample, and the sand is poured down, hitting the limewash sample. Results are rated on how the limwash holds up.

Analyse Data

After this final ASTM testing, the data from the entire experiment needs to be analysed, written up formally, and then decisions can be made on which limewash is most durable.

Limewash Project

Next Steps

Energy Audit

Infrared Image from the Lemee House

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Energy Audit

The Project

A common argument to preserving a building and its entities (i.e. windows) is that older buildings are not energy efficient and can cuase higher energy bills. As the architecture and engineering intern, part of my responsibility was to help assist with an energy audit of the Lemee house. The Lemee house was built in 1837 in Natchitoches, and is the current home of the local historical society.

They asked NCPTT to perform an energy audit in hopes that they can learn about what areas of the first floor are allowing the most warm air inside. It is very hot in Natchitoches in the summer and this building is air conditioned, so if there are areas they can better insulate or fix so less air leaks in, they will use less energy to heat the building.

The Process

Individual Research

Before we began this project, it was important for me to learn how to use an IR camera, ablower door, and how to approach executing anenergy audit. I became certified by passing quizzes and tutorials on the IR technology website.

Practice Energy Audit on the Conference Room

The conference room at NCPTT has the original, large, double hung wood windows. They recently added interior storm windows to help reduce noise pollution and prevent air leakage.

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Energy Audit

The Tools

The Blower Door

The blower door is used to perform a “blower door test” that helps calculate how much air the structure allows to leak or move between the interior and exterior.

The blower door is set up in an exterior door jamb, as seen in the image. The bottom portion is a large fan, and the remote is used to calibrate this fan.

The goal is to equalize the pressure inside the structure, by having the blower door blow the interior air out. Later, when using an infrared camera, air leakage into the building becomes visible, highlighting trouble areas.

The remote can tell you the number of pci that are leaking from the building, and certain ranges indicate normal, excessive, or not enough air movement.

FLIR Camera

Before doing the energy audit, I was trained with online tutorials to use and better understand the infrared technology. They are very sensitive, but can be used to find weak parts or gaps in the structure that are leaking air.

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Conference Room

Energy Audit

Before performing the main energy audit, we went through the process on the conference room in the NCPTT office. NCPTT recently added interior storm windows to the conference room to assist with noise pollution and air leakage. The windows are large, original wood windows.

We administered the blower door test in the conference room with the storm windows in, and then without them.

As predicted, the storm windows greatly reduced the number of pci leaking from the conference room.

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Energy Audit

Lemee House 1837

The Lemee house was built in 1837 and is for the most part a wood structure with a few masonry walls.

It is two stories, but we tested the first floor because that is where most of the occupancy is.

The Lemee house currently houses the local historical society and is open for tours.

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Energy Audit

Interior

Most of the windows appeared to be original wood windows, but I am not sure about the doors. Because of the houses age, it has settled quite a bit causing gaps to form around some of the windows and doors.

There were several different spaces on the first floor we needed to study including a meeting room (shown below) dining room, kitchen area, and some offices.

There are employees in the Lemee house quite often, so the air conditioning is on a lot. Any spots we could find throughout the house that were able to be patched meant less hot air leaking in to the house.

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Energy Audit

Problem Areas and Suggestions

Weatherstripping

Many of the doors and windows showed significant hot spots with the IR camera.Gaps as seen below are common, especially in older homes. An affordable way to help reduce the hot spot as seen here is to weatherstrip. There are different materials that can be used to weatherstrip, and it just adds a better seal around some of the openings.

With IR technology, the color scale is used as seen below. White is usually the hotest color, and then it goes down to red, oranges, yellows, and the blue, cool colors being the coolest spots. You want to look for the hot spots because that is where the air is leaking in.

Energy Audit

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Insulate

Image A depicts a hatch in the ceiling that is very warm from the warm air above it in the attic. The Lemee house does not use this hatch anymore, so they would benefit from insulating it to keep the warm air out.

The whispy red seen in image B running along the ceiling and down the wall at the corner of the intersection represents warm air leaking into the building. Better sealing at these intersections would be beneficial.

Additional Projects

Poster FromPreservation in Your Community Day

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Additional Projects

Preservation in Your Community Day

Although I was unable to attend the actual Preservation in Your Community Day, I still made two posters that were intended to help educate the public on easy, aff ordable ways they can take care of their wood windows. Th e second poster, seen below, walked through the blower door test I did on the conference room, and the results the interior storm windows can produce. Th ese posters were presented by my supervisor at the event.

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Additional Projects

Lunch Time Lecture

Part of our internship requirement was to present a 30 minute lunch time lecture to the office and members of the Cane River Creole National Park. It could be on a topic of our choosing, and since I presented earlier in the summer, before I had done much internship work, I decided to present on my field school trip to Italy in 2008. This experience enhanced my professional skills and was good practice.

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Additional Projects

Podcast with Tom Russack

The NCPTT website is host to a library of podcasts as a part of their effort to help advance the use of technology in the preservation field. These podcasts are short, ten minute conversations with professionals in the preservation field, about the work they do. They are intended to be an initial resource to help learn about a topic, and more information can be found with more research.

I interviewed Tom Russack, a historic mason who lives and teaches his trade to highschool aged kids in Harlem New York. I researched his work, developed questions, and edited the recording. It is now on the NCPTT website as podcast 36.

Photographs and Informational Interviews

Photographs and Informational Interviews

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Photographs and Informational Interviews

Natchitoches Louisiana

Natchitoches was a fun place to experience and live for two months. The landscape was different, with swamps, bayous, and sicamore trees. There was an alligator park nearby where I saw my first alligator, and they had a beautiful historic downtown with restaurants, shopping, and community events. A local delicacy is the creole meat pies which are recognized around the world.

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Photographs and Informational Interviews

Nachez Mississippi

Nachez Mississippi is a 3-4 hour drive from Natchitoches, but was worth the weekend trip. It sits on the Mississippi River, and historically, and been home to many wealthy involved in cotton plantations.

There are several plantations and large historic homes to visit here, and I saw architecture I have studied in school but never seen in person.

Some of the stops included Longwood, Winsor Ruins, Dieluth Plantation, and of course, the Aunt Jamima building.

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Photographs

New Orleans

Experiencing the art, architecture, and culture of New Orleans was a highlight experience of the internship. New Orleans is amazing, I visited the unique cemetaries, explored the architecture (and food) in the French Quarter, and took a street car ride to look at all of the historic homes in the Garden District.

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Informational Interviews

Andrew Ferrell, Head of Architecture and Engineering

What is your educational background?

He majored in German at LSU in the language and linguistics department. He pursued his graduate degree through Boston University, in Brussels Belgum in international relations, and then later went for a masters in architecture with an emphasis in preservation at LSU.

What are some of the other jobs you have had before coming to NCPTT?

His first job was teaching in the preservation department at SE University in Louisiana. He worked for the Gulf engineers and consultants (an engineering firm) for a project where they were figuring out how to protect Lafayette from flooding. He found typical houses and photoshopped soluctions to help reduce flood damage. This also involved surveying radioactive stuff as well as endangered specieis information.

Then he moved on to the Army Corp of Engineers as a consultant, as well as for the Department of Transportation. This involved GIS excersices, and working with engineers, architects, and biologists. This work was flexible and he worked with everyone on the project.

What kind of work did this Army Corps include?

This included a lot of report writing, and it wasn’t stable enough for his liking. (the consultant part)

He was originally hired at NCPTT to be a training assistant, which included info training, management, and research. It originally was not intended to go over 4 years, He eventually worked into this position and he loves it. It is a unique opportunity to work with a lot of different disciplines, and he is always learning a lot.

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Informational Interviews

Carol Chin, Materials Conservator

What is your educational background?

She went to USC for Geology, a masters in Chemical Oceanography, and her PhD in Marine Geology at OSU.

What are some of the other jobs you have had before coming to NCPTT?

She had a research position in Noxville Tennissee for one and a half years. (while she was finishing her PhD) She then went back to research at OSU, it was an administrative position which included research, conferences, and a lot of travel.

How did you make the transition from this to preservation?

During the travel in this research position at OSU, she would get to choose where they stayed at conferences, and she started choosing historic hotels, ended up having a favorite that became endangered. As she became involved with saving it, she became familiar with this process, and more passionate about saving historic places.

Her science background supports her materials conservation and really gave her a strong base to start doing this job at NCPTT. Her writing and science background really helped her with preservation tasks such as writing nominations or developing experiments.

She started the Historic Preservation Program at University of Oregon to learn more of the technical information about the preservation field, and then accepted the job at NCPTT and never finished.

Supervisor Evaluation

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Supervisor Evaluation

Contributions

1. Stacey did accomplish completing some of the testing for the additional lime-wash durability testing. She was able to perform an energy audit of 1837 building in Natchitoches National Landmark Historic District.

2. Stacey was very organized, and was very focused on furthering the projects she was hired to work on.

3. She completed some of the testing for one of our studies. She was unable to fin-ish the project, but that had to do with timing issues with our office. She designed a poster of one of her projects for a community event at our office.

Professional Development

4. Stacey was very professional and got along well with everyone in the office. One suggestion I would make is to not be so easy going!

5. I am not the best at responding to emails quickly or getting something back to someone without a solid dealine. This review would be the perfect example! I know I was her supervisor and she may have felt uncomfortable being adamant about some-thing, but she will need to be more forceful in the future. I would reccommend not giving people such long deadlines for things she needs. It is common in our office that when you tell someone they have a long length of time to complete something that is not top priority it can get pushed to the back burner and forgotten about. While it is not proffessional to request something and expect them to drop everything and do it right that second it is important to give reasonable deadlines.

6. With the testing I could have planned better and prepared the study so that when she came in she could have completed the testing and finished the study. That was something I let slide because these tend to be projects that drag out and I was not clear on where it was at before she got here. We have several programs that use the equip-ment and our office is not the best at communicating everyone needs.

7. I don’t think there would have been anything the university could have done to help make the internship experience better. We have an established internship program that we have to take care of paperwork and things on our end with information from the intern. One thing that would have helped would have been if all the paperwork we needed to complete for the internship would have been sent in one email at the beginning of the internship with dates on when things were due. Not that there was that much, but reading the questions ahead of time may have shaped the internship somewhat to make sure the intern was getting all the experiences that the university expected.

8. Being able to comprehend a project and see what needs to be done without being told. It is good to ask questions so you understand what is expected and to pay at-tention when you are receiving training, but supervisors and co-workers do not want to hold someone’s hand for the most part and tell them how to do their job. I think Stacey understands this and was good about staying on top of projects with minimal instructions. She also would check in to make sure she was working on what I expected her to. She had several projects that she had to prioritize which is a good skill to have. If she had any questions she would come up with what she thought was the correct answer and then check with me. That will serve her well in the future.

Being able to work on a variety of projects that need different skills will also serve her well. The way the economy and job market is now people need to be able to do what needs to be done with a minimal amount of assistance.

Supervision

8.During the course of the internship I realized I need to become more involved in the projects to help her get the best experience possible during her time here.

9. Stacey was very professional intern who got along well with everyone in the office. She completed tasks she was given in a timely manner and worked to have a better understanding of the projects she was involved with.

Supervisor Evaluation

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