APT Bulletin

The APT Bulletin, published by the Association for Preservation Technology International, is particularly distinguished for the clarity of its graphic presentation of projects. A paper by Edmund P Meade demonstrates this in dealing with the seismic evaluation and retrofit of unreinforced masonry buildings in Italy. Axonometric drawings of load-bearing masonry buildings that have suffered structural damage are especially well illustrated. Given the need to justify structural reinforcement and repair options in heritage impact statements, the presentation of this work is particularly notable. The author provides a shortlist of further reading and a number of informative footnotes.

The bulletin also publishes, from time to time, a centre-section set of Practice Points. In the present issue, No 25 deals with a nine-page update on metals for historic roofing by Jeffrey S Levine, Remo R Capolino and Julie M Palmer. This deals with both the commonly encountered and more unusual roofing materials, concentrating in particular on copper, lead-coated copper, tin-zinc-alloy-coated copper, tin matte, stainless steel, zinc and lead. The authors describe the composition of these materials, important installation requirements, the significance of water run-off on appearance and the general, gradually emergent weathering characteristics. For readers dealing with metal roofs, some of the materials will be relatively unfamiliar. The Practice Point notes that lead roofs on historic buildings are relatively common in the USA where the material was more commonly used in smaller, more decorative elements such as turrets and eyebrow dormers.

This article originally appeared in the Institute of Historic Building Conservation’s (IHBC’s) Context 179, published in March 2024.

--Institute of Historic Building Conservation

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• Association of Preservation Technology Bulletin Vol LIII, No 1, 2022.
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• Conservation.
• Heritage.
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• IHBC articles.
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