Proactive Preservation

[mfunk148pvi]

All,

I teach a class in the Design of Wood Structures offered through the Civil Engineering department. The student population of this class includes structural engineering students, wood science students, building construction students and possibly some architectural students. I have been thinking about discussing some aspects of historic preservation in one of my 'special topics' classes at the the end of the semester. The audience my be a little 'off topic' (I would like to present this to more of the building construction audience) but I would like to plant the idea early that these students can contribute to preservation in a professional manner and, as my title suggests, possibly be proactive about preservation efforts.
So, here's what I'm asking: What would YOU want to see in this course? What would be really important for these students (many who plan to be contractors or work at engineering firms) to know about historical preservation? I'm open to most any activity or guest speaker that can be constrained to 50 minutes and a reasonable per diem. With 40 students, its hard to get around, though.

Thank you,
Dan 'Brother Yoder' Hindman

[dusty27]

Re: Proactive Preservation

Dan,

"Adaptive reuse" was always stressed in my historic preservation studies at Mary Washington College (will not use the new name). In D.C. where I work, a fair amount of new construction has some of the old architecture of the block incorporated into the design of the new building. Even if it is only the fascade of the building, it gives the new building some unique characteristics that a plain glass and cement structure doesn't have for me.

Another example here in the District is the old Woodies building that has been retained and turned into a combination retail/apartments building. Very few dormant buildings in the center of the city here.

That is what is so frustrating about the situation in Spotsylvania County. Wal-Mart left a large box store on Rte 3 to go down the street, literally, into a larger space in Central Park shopping center. The old store remains empty today, but there was talk of having a large box store (hardware) in the defeated Town of Chancellorsville.:baring_te The county can't fill its old spaces, why create new ones on historic ground???????

Not sure this is the kind of thing you were looking for, but I feel better........

[PvtSchultz]

Re: Proactive Preservation

Dan,

I would have to agree with the other posts, we shouldn't build new if existing structures are present, empty and could serve the purpose at hand. If we must build new, incoporating architecture that would blend in with the surrounding area, i.e. if within or adjacent to a historical area then we should strive for achitecture that fits with that historical time period. If we are remodeling an existing structure, I say keep as much of the old as possible. Keep the shell and renovate the inside, utilize items from within and use them in new ways for the interior. You could even suggest recycling items from structures lost (old beams, windows, doors, etc) and incorporate them in the new. There are many ways one can preserve, one just has to have the imagination and drive to do so. Besides, just because something is new, does not make it better! I have seen old barns converted to new homes, concents changed to office buildings, etc all without losing any of the achitectural charm that was once there.

[Matthew.Rector]

Re: Proactive Preservation

There are many, many things you could discuss! Here are just a few of my ideas.

Through my job as a historic preservation specialist, I have the occasion to talk with engineers about projects concerning historic structures. It is probably one of the most challenging aspects of my position as we don’t always see eye to eye with one another. For your class, I would definitely discuss building materials-old vs. new. What advantages and disadvantages are there and what the life span of these materials are. Most literature surrounding new products can be very one sided so its important that some research is done to know about historic materials as well. Many of these old buildings have survived the test of time for a reason.

I would bring up, and if time allows, discuss the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. If your students have an opportunity to work on historic structures in the future, they should know about these standards.

I would definitely agree with Dusty-talk about adaptive reuse! It’s an important part of historic preservation. I think it would be challenging for architects and engineers to figure out new uses for diverse and unique buildings. Along those lines, look up some of the economic studies by Donovan Rypkema. He makes really good case for keeping historic structures around.

Good luck and thank you for exposing your students to historic preservation!

[Dignann]

Re: Proactive Preservation

Dan,

Matthew has an excellent point with regard to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. Keep in mind that tax incentives for adaptive use and rehab can be available.

Here's a couple websites worth looking at:

Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation

Technical Preservation Services for Historic Buildings - NPS

Eric