Nondestructive Evaluation Firm Assisting in Historic Preservation Efforts of Ancient Cambodian Temples

Atkinson-Noland & Associates serves as masonry consultant for project spearheaded by the World Monument Fund and Integrated Conservation Resources.

Boulder, Colorado (PRWEB) September 19, 2007 -- Atkinson-Noland & Associates recently announced they are assisting in a historic preservation and restoration project on one of the two great complexes of ancient temples in Southeast Asia -- Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Engineers with Atkinson-Noland are working as a masonry consultant nondestructive evaluation of a 50-meter gallery at the temples of Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat honors the Hindu god Vishnu and is a symbolic representation of Hindu cosmology.

Churning of the Sea of Milk

The gallery being evaluated by Atkinson-Noland houses the stunning stone carving depicting the "Churning of the Sea of Milk," a popular episode from Vishnu lore said said Michael Schuller, engineer and president of Atkinson-Noland.

The temples, which were built by the Khmer civilization between 802 and 1220 AD, represent one of humankind's most astonishing and enduring architectural achievements, Schuller said. The information gathered will assist in current and future historic restoration projects at the temples.

The stone temples number more than 100 and are the surviving remains of a grand religious, social and administrative metropolis whose other buildings - palaces, public buildings, and houses - were built of wood and are long since decayed and gone.

This important historic preservation project is being conducted under the direction of the World Monuments Fund and Integrated Conservation Resources, which have spearheaded the architectural conservation efforts at the gallery.

The WMF began its work at Angkor Wat in 1989, at the invitation of the Cambodian government. Atkinson-Noland joined the project in 2004.

Atkinson-Noland's evaluations are expected to be completed by the initial evaluations are already complete; conservation work is ongoing through 2009, Schuller said.

About Atkinson-Noland
Atkinson-Noland & Associates has provided structural engineering services including nondestructive testing and nondestructive evaluation for federal, state and private organizations since its founding in 1975. The company provides a variety of professional engineering services for building assessment, repair and evaluation. It specializes in nondestructive and in-place testing of masonry structures. With expertise in masonry, nondestructive evaluation and historic preservation, their services can be customized to meet clients' needs.

Atkinson-Noland & Associates is based in Boulder, Colo. Contact them for more information: (303) 444-3620, (800) 735-3629. Or visit their Web site: www.ana-usa.com.

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