Photo By Brannen Parrish | Kelvin Chan, a structural engineer from the Technical Center of Expertise for the...... read more read more
A specialized team consisting of a structural engineer, historical architect and historian assisted the Hawaiʻi Wildfires Mission by assessing structures in or adjacent to the Lahaina National Historic Landmark District on Maui, Jan. 17-21.
The team is from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District’s Technical Center of Expertise for the Preservation of Historic Buildings and Structures. They are on Maui to record and analyze surviving historic buildings and structures in, or adjacent to, the Lahaina National Historic Landmark District. The district was damaged by the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires on Maui.
“We try to assess a building’s structural integrity after fire damage. Not all buildings are equal, and no fire is the same,” said Kelvin Chan, structural engineer, TCX.
The National Park Service added Lahaina Town to the list of National Historic Landmark Districts in 1962, four years before the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act that established the National Register of Historic Places.
The TCX will determine the type of shoring or bracing and the methods that would be required for future sympathetic repair and restoration. They make recommendations based upon standards for future restoration established by the Secretary of the Interior.
Shoring and bracing are methods of preventing remaining sections of damaged buildings from falling or crumbling while debris removal takes place.
“Some buildings have more damage than others. And based on the materials we kind of have think on our feet and figure out what is the best course of action,” said Chan.
As the TCX’s historic architect, William Wierda looks at the overall character of a building.
“Character-defining features give you an idea of key building characteristics that give it its architectural significance,” said Wierda.
Some of those defining features like the walls of Lahaina’s first prison and other buildings in the Lahaina National Historic Landmark District, were constructed using cut blocks of coral, which add to their uniqueness and significance.
“I’ve never seen coral used in that way,” said Laura Duvekot, the TCX historian. “It’s what makes these buildings so special because it tells the story of the specific community. That’s the great thing about early architecture because they used the materials they had available.”
Architecture reflects the age in which it’s conceived, and its significance is more than its age.
“The built environment is the backdrop to everyone's lives. And it's important to maintain a visual record of that history,” said Wierda. “Historic buildings are a portal into a different time and give us a glimpse of how things once were.”
| Date Taken: | 01.24.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.24.2024 15:27 |
| Story ID: | 462355 |
| Location: | MAUI, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 634 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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Army Corps of Engineers
