Materials Conservation – Concrete and Plaster Webinar

0279d8f Concrete and plaster clad buildings are built of similar constituents: cement, lime, sand, aggregate and water. We will learn about each of these materials, how they are combined, and how they perform. We will review common signs of deterioration and their causes: environmental effects, inferior materials and poor workmanship, structural defects, and improper maintenance. We will discuss reactive and proactive repairs to treat corrosion of embedded reinforcing steel. Case studies of mid-century modernist concrete facades illustrate repair of uncoated concrete.

Speakers

d97ccf5973a1aad9d701122d_144x216Carolyn Searls has thirty years of experience in investigation, design, and construction administration of building-envelope repairs on both historic and contemporary structures throughout the United States. She has been recognized with California Preservation Foundation Design Awards for her work on Presidio Landmark, Griffith Observatory, Natural History Museum Los Angeles, and the Fairmont Hotel San Francisco.  Carolyn is a Fellow of the Association for Preservation Technology International and a past board member of CPF.  She is head of SGH’s Building Technology Division in San Francisco. 002ab3dMatthew Bronski, P.E., is an Associate Principal with Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, and SGH's nationwide Practice Leader for Preservation Technology. He has led SGH's projects on numerous mid-century modernist icons, including buildings designed by Philip Johnson, Paul Rudolph, Eero Saarinen, Josep Lluis Sert, SOM, and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Documents & Downloads

Learning Objectives

  1. Understand the composition and properties of cementitious materials.
  2. Recognize signs of concrete and plaster deterioration and their causes.
  3. Learn reactive and proactive repair techniques for concrete and plaster.
  4. Learn procedures for repairing uncoated, integrally colored plaster and concrete.