flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Notre Dame fire highlights danger of renovating historic structures

Codes and Standards

Notre Dame fire highlights danger of renovating historic structures

Centuries-old buildings are like tinderboxes.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | April 19, 2019
Notre Dame fire highlights danger of renovating historic structures

Photo by Bennett Tobias on Unsplash

The devastating fire at Notre-Dame de Paris is the latest blaze to damage or destroy historic buildings while undergoing renovations. It highlights how vulnerable such structures are to fire while undergoing repairs.

While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, it may well be due to activity during the restoration project on the ancient cathedral.

Historic structures are like tinderboxes, according to an expert in the field, as quoted in a Fast Company article, because they contain wood and other flammable materials that have dried out over centuries.

Torches used in restoration work for soldering pipes or welding metal roofing components can give off hot molten metal bits that drop into concealed spaces. The embers can spark a fire that is not immediately detected.

With extremely dry wood, the heat from power tools could also induce a blaze, even without an open flame. The construction industry doesn’t appear to have universal standards for fire watch and suppression for historic renovations, the Fast Company article says.

 

Related Stories

| Oct 18, 2012

Princeton, N.J. residents upset over proposal to exempt colleges from land use laws

Princeton, N.J. residents criticized proposed legislation that would exempt private colleges and universities from following local land use laws for construction projects.

| Oct 18, 2012

Utah contracting firm challenges state immigration law

Universal Contracting LLC of American Fork, Utah, has filed suit challenging the constitutionality of Utah’s 2011 immigration law.

| Oct 18, 2012

More than 65,000 construction, design jobs may be cut if sequestration takes place

About $2 billion worth of construction and design projects would be eliminated if scheduled federal budget cuts, referred to as sequestration, take effect on Jan. 2, 2013.

| Oct 18, 2012

OSHA investigating parking garage collapse that kills four at Doral, Fla. college

OSHA is investigating the collapse of a five-story concrete parking garage under construction at Miami Dade College West Campus in Doral, Fla. that killed four workers and injured several others.

| Oct 18, 2012

EPA commercial building lead paint rule pushed back to 2015

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's inclusion of commercial buildings in a residential lead paint rule is being delayed until 2015.

| Oct 18, 2012

Chicago pushing green roofs to reduce heat island effect

The city of Chicago has mandated that all new buildings that require any public funds must be LEED certified, usually with a green roof.

| Oct 11, 2012

OSHA launches pilot program for alternative dispute resolution on whistleblower complaints

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is launching an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) pilot program for complaints filed with OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program.

| Oct 11, 2012

Bill promotes investment in commercial, multifamily retrofits

The Commercial Building Modernization Act recently introduced in the Senate would extend and streamline a current tax deduction to encourage commercial and multifamily residential building owners to perform comprehensive energy-efficient retrofits.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021