HSI Musings

Climate change is here.  Hurricanes on the Atlantic coast, heat domes in British Columbia, and wildfires consuming entire towns give no room for questioning if or when.  Municipalities are at the forefront, determinedly facing these challenges both through immediate mitigation measures and future energy use reduction.

But in their current form Canada’s expanding collection of municipal net-zero targets could make global CO2eq emissions worse.

Everyone at HSI would like to express their sympathies to the folks who have had their lives disrupted by Hurricane Fiona.

Losing a beloved building can be extremely traumatic.  We understand that many buildings aren't just structures; they have personality and character that new buildings can't replicate.  Because we specialize in existing and heritage buildings, over the years we have been able to help many people repair and improve the buildings that house their...

Like everyone else, we’ve had to change the way we work because of Covid19.  We’ve ramped up safety protocols on site visits, rearranged schedules to avoid Covid hotspots in the province, and have been unable to leave New Brunswick for months at a time.  Of course, the out-of-province specialists with whom we work have likewise been unable or hesitant to travel into New Brunswick.  Luckily, with modern technology and some lateral thinking we have been able to remotely work...

Heritage Standing’s office is located in a building that sits on the traditional unceded territory of the Wolastokwiyik, whose ancestors, along with the Mi’kmaw and Passamaquoddy / Peskotomuhkati peoples, signed Peace and Friendship Treaties with the British Crown in the 1700s.

The photo shows the Wolastoq (St. John River) as viewed from a church tower.  All small piece of the river is visible from our building once the leaves flutter to the ground in autumn.  The Wolastoq is gradually undergoing a cultural re-naming, though official renaming has yet to occur.  This is just one small story of ongoing cultural and community diaglogue as we all move forward together.

In recognition of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we invite everyone to take steps forward in learning more.

Scope… schedule… and budget…

(You know, one of these days I really want to write some technical musings, but it doesn’t look like today will be that day)

One of the interesting growing pains we’ve had as a company is trying to improve how we organize, collaborate, and run projects.  Part of this required more of the day to day project management to be managed by others, so that I can focus on project areas where I bring the most value.  The long term ideal is that this...

I’m often bothered when I get the impression someone didn’t think through the implications of their construction choices.  There are benefits and harms to almost every decision, and understanding those is important.  Unfortunately, this doesn’t just extend to building conservation work.  Allow me to digress on one specific problem that comes up more often than it should. 

Many people in the construction industry are familiar with the ridge vents that you can get for...

At HSI, we experiment with cutting-edge technology in order to solve difficult and unusual engineering goals.  Because many of our clients are non-profits or individuals with limited budgets, we are always on the lookout for new techniques which can reduce costs.  One that we are particularly proud of is using drone images and photogrammetry to generate 3d models of heritage structures that otherwise would only have been available through expensive laser scans or extremely...

In my first HSI Musing I would like to talk about business.  When I started Heritage Standing Inc. I didn’t really think so much about the business model that would run alongside the technical expertise.  My focus had been to provide technical services specialized for a unique set of buildings (old buildings) and that by having this specialized service I would be able to support projects.  I still had that feeling from engineering school that the best technical solutions...

Historic masonry can lead to surprises if you're only familiar with new methods and materials.  Successful repair requires compatibility with historic materials.  Below are two short videos by Dr. Tom Morrison that provide helpful advice when working with historic masonry.