Conclusion
The successful integration of new systems in historic buildings can
be challenging. Meeting modern HVAC requirements for human comfort or installing
controlled climates for museum collections or for the operation of complex
computer equipment can result in both visual and physical damage to historic
resources. Owners of historic buildings must be aware that the final result
will involve balancing multiple needs; no perfect heating, ventilating,
and air conditioning system exists. In undertaking changes to historic
buildings, it is best to have the advice and input of trained professionals
who can:
- assess the condition of the historic building,
- evaluate the significant elements that should be preserved or reused,
- prioritize the preservation objectives,
- understand the impact of new interior climate conditions on historic
materials
- integrate preservation with mechanical and code requirements,
- maximize the advantages of various new or upgraded mechanical systems,
- understand the visual and physical impact of various installations,
- identify maintenance and monitoring requirements for new or upgraded
systems, and
- plan for the future removal or replacement of the system.
Too often the presumed climate needs of the occupants or collections
can be detrimental to the long-term preservation of the building. With a
careful balance between the preservation needs of the building and the
interior temperature and humidity needs of the occupants, a successful
project can result.
Selected Reading
Banham, Reyner. The Architecture of the Well-Tempered Environment. London:
The Architectural Press, 1969.
Burns, John A., AIA. Energy Conserving Features Inherent in Older Homes.
Washington: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Department
of the Interior, 1982.
Cowan, Henry J. Science and Building: Structural and Environmental Design
in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. New York: John Wiley & Sons,
1978.
Ferguson, Eugene S. "An Historical Sketch of Central Heating: 1800-1860,"
in Building Early America (Charles Peterson, editor) Philadelphia: Chilton
Book Co., 1976.
Fitch, James Marston. American Building: The Environmental Forces That
Shape It. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Co., 1972.
Giedion, Siegfried. Mechanization Takes Command--a Contribution to Anonymous
History. New York: Oxford University Press, 1948.
Merritt, Frederick S. Building Engineering and Systems Design. New York:
Van Nostrand Reinhold Co, 1979.
Smith, Baird M. Preservation Briefs 3: Conserving Energy in Historic
Buildings. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, 1978.
Turberg, Edward. A History of American Building Technology. Durham:
Durham Technical Institute, 1981.
Acknowledgements
The author gratefully acknowledges the invaluable assistance of Michael
C. Henry, P.E., AIA, in the development and technical editing of this Preservation
Brief. Technical review was also provided by Ernest A. Conrad, P.E. Thanks
is also given to staff members of the National Park Service Cultural Resources
Programs, including Tom Keohan and Catherine Colby, Rocky Mountain Region;
Michael Crowe, Western Region; Mark Chavez, Midwest Region; Randall J.
Biallas, AIA, Chief, Park Historic Architecture Division, and George A.
Thorsen, Historical Architect, Denver Service Center. Special thanks is
also given to Michael J. Auer of Technical Preservation Services for his
editorial assistance in preparing this paper and Tim Buehner for his assistance
with the illustrations.
Washington, D.C. October, 1991
This publication has been prepared pursuant to the National
Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, which directs the Secretary
of the Interior to develop and make available information concerning historic
properties. Technical Preservation Services (TPS), Heritage Preservation
Services Division, National Park Service prepares standards, guidelines,
and other educational materials on responsible historic preservation treatments
to a broad public.
"Heating, Ventilating, and Cooling Historic Buildings" an Historic Preservation Brief
