Projects

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

2025 Award of Excellence in Conservation Engineering from the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals.

Constructed in the 1840s, the Cathedral is one of Saint John's most important religious and cultural landmarks. HSI was engaged when falling stones from the tower and worsening deterioration raised immediate safety concerns. Before long-term repairs could proceed, the Cathedral required emergency stabilization, detailed investigation, and the setup of an extensive Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) System that could alert us to potential hazards.

Evaluation of the tower found that several generations of repairs and alterations had introduced incompatible materials and systems into the structure, creating many underlying causes of deterioration. The emergency repair design had to address multiple, complex causes simultaneously. Guided by HSI, local masons used appropriate heritage materials and techniques alongside novel stabilization designs to successfully repair the tower. Ongoing, real-time SHM was used to ensure that interventions were having the planned effects.

Limited budgets and the Cathedral's need to remain open during construction meant that repairs needed to be carefully targeted, avoiding wholesale rebuilding. This required regular coordination between engineers, contractors, clergy, and the parish community. This close relationship continues to be beneficial as construction continues on the rest of the building.

Project Photos