Technological Advancements in Historic Preservation Research Paper

Technological Advancements in Historic Preservation - Research Paper Example Historic buildings have been designed with sustainable features that respond to both site and prevailing climate (WBDG). The effectiveness of sustainable features used to preserve traditional buildings and, when incorporated in modern buildings, those features can result in substantial energy savings. The current technologically improved sustainable preservation of buildings has, therefore, been derived and adapted to supplement the inherent sustainable features in many historical buildings without compromising the unique and historic character of such buildings. For example, the Adobe houses or those made of dried bricks are among the oldest buildings made of the most common materials that are known to man today (Old House Web). The adobe bricks were not fired initially but were sun-baked first and only then used in the construction process. These bricks consist of sand, clay, water, gravel and straw or grass that are mixed with hands in wooden moulds and then are being dried in the sun (Old House Web). As the adobe bricks are not fired in a kiln, the bricks never harden permanently but remain unstable during their life time. These bricks are, therefore, prone to shrinking as water content changes with their strength fluctuating over time: the higher the water content, the lower the strength (Old House Web). The adobe bricks, though having been successfully used in the buildings, cannot bond to metal, wood or stone as they exhibit greater movements than these materials. Attempts to bond these materials resulted in cracking, separating or twisting at the interfaces, which led to cracking and failure of the buildings in most of cases. This prejudiced the preservation of these buildings. In the majority of cases, where traditional methods may not present enough strength in buildings, other technologies in the modern building construction are used to reinforce these traditional buildings to ensure sustainability and preservation of a historic fabric (Fischetti, 42 ). The early adobe building foundations varied greatly according to their differences in local building construction and available materials, which resulted in great variability in these buildings, including their sustainability (Old House Web). Lack of professionals at planning or preservation stage of a huge number of traditional buildings has had a bad effect on those buildings, thus, numerous efforts to innovate and elaborate plans for preservation in these buildings have been made recently; though there has been a growing belief in the inclusion of planning and growth management in preservation of these buildings (WBDG). Though preserving a building has been recognized as an ultimate recycling of projects, the majority of preservationists in most of cases fight the stigma of historic buildings being inefficient and stress on the need to take daunting corrective measures in order to retrofit for energy saving devices and systems with the green sustainable design being increasing ly popular in both construction and preservation of new industries (WBDG). These shortcomings in the traditional buildings and preservation approaches are continuously being reviewed though the improved technologies in both preservation of buildings and documentation of building projects so that to enhance effective preservation. The growing technological advances have made it possible to improve building preservation efficiency and accuracy with record keeping in architectural and construction projects being enhanced to

Acedemic Dishonesty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Acedemic Dishonesty - Essay Example When I had to choose between doing the right thing and turning in someone else’s work, I made the wrong decision by letting the pressure to succeed get the best of me. I very much wish I could go back to that night to remind myself why I am here in the first place: to get an education and prepare myself for a meaningful career. When I submitted someone else’s work, not only did I go against my goals, but I also betrayed this community’s trust. While I very much wish that I had not committed this offense, it has given me an opportunity to reflect on my goals, and realize that my actions are not always aligned with my beliefs. The realization of this inconsistency is the first step towards figuring out what steps I need to take to help me remain true to my beliefs and my goals. To avoid a situation like this in the future, I first of all must stay on top of my school work. Part of what clouded my judgment in the first place was the fact that I let myself fall behind in my coursework. I must work on my time management skills, and plan ahead so that I have sufficient time to complete all assignments without ever feeling the desperation I felt when I made the decision to turn in another student’s work as my own.