Assessments

Building Assessments

LPS understands the interplay between building construction and the interior preservation environments, historic preservation concerns, and the building’s continued fitness for purpose. Broad scale building assessments include looking at issues such as building envelope design, water management, window and door concerns, roofs, and foundations. An assessment from LPS can inform both immediate response as well as long-term planning.

Preservation Assessments

LPS preservation assessments focus on collections materials themselves, specifically assessing the impact of environmentally-driven decay on objects and documents.  Projects typically include extensive documentation of material types, evidence of any degradation (chemical and mechanical decay, mold or pest concerns, or metal corrosion issues) and review of environmental conditions that may place materials at risk.

Mechanical Assessments

Mechanical assessments can take several different forms, depending on the specific needs of the institution:

·      Initial documentation and assessment to help institutions better understand the design intent and capability of the existing systems that serve their collections environments.

·      Optimization studies that assess the current operation of mechanical systems for both preservation and sustainability, resulting in recommendations for both operational improvements as well as needs for capital investment.

·      Preservation Commissioning, typically performed in conjunction with a design project, can follow system installation (or be performed as retroactive commissioning) and evaluates a mechanical system’s actual operation based on design intent, preservation need, and opportunity for energy optimization.

Emergency and Risk Assessments

Unlike standard assessments, LPS emergency and risk assessments are intended to provide a rapid evaluation of potential or ongoing risk related to known issues or events.  Examples include preservation or system assessments after a natural disaster (tornado, hurricanes, flooding, earthquake, etc.) or after a building issue such as a fire or water event.  Note:  Emergency and Risk Assessments cannot take place until after the facility has been deemed safe for entry by local emergency personnel.