St' Ninian's Cathedral

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St. Ninian's Cathedral

• Preserving The Future

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Problems

• Widespread paint peeling and cracking
• Some localized problem areas
• Old paintings underneath
• Church is looking at costly restoration
• Ventilation and insulation is main issue
• Others have been helping
• Matthew Mattie

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Following 1957 renovations
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Engineering Problems

• What is the source of paint peeling?
• Steam leak in basement
• Higher concentration of cracks on one side
• Air flow through mail columns
• Higher than expected
• Condensation

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What are the recent improvements

• Insulation
• Recently upgraded to R-40
• Made from cellulose
• Advantages
• lasts longer
• more efficient

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Insulation

• New insulation was put down to help keep the heat
  from the church from flowing to the attic.

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Observation

• Map out the Cathedral in a grid like manner to
  test both temperature and humidity.
• Conclude whether or not problem has been fixed or
  where current problem areas are.

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Observation

• Follow peeling paint closely by both photography
  and measurement.
• Consistent with conservationists.

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Ventilation System

• Mechanically run
• Made by Honeywell
• Two separate systems at each end of the church
• Pulls air out of choir loft and above the alter

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Ventilation System

• Based off convection
• Pulls air out of the attic
• Future plans include increasing its efficiency by
  hooking it up with the mechanical system

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Problem solved?

• New problems?
• Additional ventilation
• Target areas

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Electrical Aspects

• How is the system turned on
• When should the system be turned on and at what
  temperature
• How many sensors are there and where can they be
  optimally placed

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Ventilation System

• It appears that this sensor controls the on/off
  of the mechanical system

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Electrical Aspects

• Problem arise when setting bounds to turn on/off
• An array of sensors collecting data from the
  church would give a clear picture of when the
  system should be turned on

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Safety

• There are several focuses where safety is
  concerned.
• Handrails are not up to code.
• Entering and exiting the attic is unsafe.
• Lighting inside the attic is insufficient in some
  areas.

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Access to Attic

• The currently proposed plan for ventilation calls
  for an air vent to go through the access way.
• We propose a moveable or collapsible end on the
  vent such that it can be moved aside to allow
  people into the attic.

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• Of most concern is the risk taken when exiting
  the attic.
• One must crawl through a three foot long hole in
  the wall on hands and knees.
• The exit leads to the top of a very steep
  stairway, and has no hand holds on either side
  with a steep drop on the left.