Restoration

Over time, a mix of environmental and human interaction causes structures to deteriorate. Since heritage buildings are integral to Canadian culture and identity, efforts are made to conserve them through rehabilitation, restoration and preservation.

Conservation is not only important for cultural sustainability but also helps reduce the environmental impacts of new construction. ISL’s Structural-Buildings group has extensive experience completing such conservation work and adopts a holistic approach to ensure the material, craft and cultural contexts are taken into account.

ISL works with the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada in conjunction with current building (or bridge, where applicable) codes and Commentary L – Application of NBC Part 4 of Division B for the Structural Evaluation and Upgrading of Existing Buildings.

ISL is mindful of structures’ cultural values and our clients’ goals, and factors both into rehabilitations. For instance, a client may opt for anything from simple maintenance in the preservation, where the objective is to keep the cultural value of the building, to complex rehabilitations, where the intention is to improve the performance of the existing building or make changes for adaptive reuse. ISL’s knowledge of traditional building technologies plays a vital role in the evaluation of and specification for structural conservation works.

The team collaborates with architects and other conservation specialists to understand project goals (e.g., character defining elements) and to ensure any specified interventions are contextually appropriate.

Our Service Areas

  • Research and Analysis
  • Condition Assessments
  • Surveys and Scanning
  • Structural Analysis
  • Structural Design for Interventions
  • Innovative Structural Solutions
  • Production of Contract Documents
  • Project Management, Tendering and Construction
    Administration

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