CS24 New Directions in Preservation Education

Transcription

1 CS24 New Directions in Preservation Education TRACK: Energy Use and Conservation: Exploring the Potential SESSION CHAIR David Woodcock Preservation Consultant College Station, TX USA CS24a: Teaching Sustainability in a Larger Context: Climate Change and Cultural Landscapes Speaker: Robert Melnick FASLA, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR USA The relationship between teaching sustainability concerns and heritage preservation is receiving increased attention in design and planning schools. Although one area (sustainability) has most often been considered to be on the natural side of the equation, and the other (heritage studies) on the cultural side, it is increasingly evident that these traditional intellectual and applied silos are invalid. This is encouraging, as complex issues inherent in sustainability studies require equally complex responses, especially with regard to societal concerns of conservation priorities and energy consumption. One of the most important and pressing issues in this arena is the growing recognition internationally of the impact of global climate change across a broad range of natural and cultural resources. Particularly important and difficult to assess is the impact on cultural landscapes, themselves especially dynamic resources. There is, additionally, a pressing need for responses that reflect our societal values of recognition, assessment, protection and management. Preservation programs alone, however, cannot teach climate change issues. They must learn from other fields in which the science and humanity of climate change have been more fully studied. One area that can be especially helpful in this regard is landscape architecture, itself a synthetic discipline, drawing on knowledge and strengths from many areas. This presentation describes the on- going and long- term efforts at the University of Oregon s School of Architecture and Allied Arts to embed sustainability into the architecture, landscape architecture, and planning curricula, the special attention to climate change, and the linkages between those efforts and especially the Department of Landscape Architecture s established work in cultural landscape studies. Sustainability at UO is also a major concern in the Environmental Studies Program, The Institute for a Sustainable Environment, and the Oregon Leadership in Sustainability Graduate Certificate program. Attention in this presentation is focused on courses, long- term research efforts, and graduate student work in both climate change and cultural landscapes. In this context, five critical questions are discussed: How can climate change studies affect our understanding of, and attention to, cultural landscapes? How do climate change studies, as taught in a field that combines science and art, directly or indirectly relate to increasing student awareness of heritage protection, regardless of their academic majors? What are the challenges in applying the teaching of climate change to cultural resources when so much of the field is based on natural resource evidence? How do some of the traditional issues in historic preservation programs (e.g., isolation, separation

2 from other academic fields, limited or no design component, etc.) impede the incorporation of sustainability in these programs, and how might these issues be addressed? Finally, stepping back, why does this matter, and what impact might it have on valued cultural resources? The presentation concludes with a broad discussion of the learning loop of teaching, research and practice, and frames a set of challenges for both practitioners and academicians, with a focus on the imperative of global climate change studies in the coming generations. CS24bs: Sustainable Preservation: Mapping An Emerging Discipline Student: Meghan Kleon LEED AP, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA My dissertation examines efforts to bridge the gap between two disciplines within the field of architecture sustainable design (green building) and historic preservation (heritage conservation) in the United States. Through a content analysis of the discourse and literature and semi- structured interviews with both academics and professionals, the finished work will map the emerging discipline of sustainable preservation, providing a metastudy of the nascent field. Because of its focus on existing building stock and long- term management of the built environment, historic preservation seems the ideal partner for the sustainable architecture movement to address the sustainability of existing buildings. Historic preservation would offer specialized knowledge in the rehabilitation and adaptation of existing buildings and could provide valuable information about historic design strategies applicable to the design of new environmentally responsive structures today. Yet sustainable design and historic preservation are often perceived to be in direct conflict with one another. Some practitioners and scholars have begun to advocate for the creation of a new field sustainable preservation that would unite the two, in order to build, conserve, and adapt the built environment in ways that are economically, culturally, socially, and environmentally sustainable. But there is not yet consensus over what this field should look like or how it should fit with existing architectural disciplines some argue that historic preservation and sustainable design should become synonymous, others hope to prove that existing buildings are inherently sustainable, and others feel that one discipline should subsume the other. My dissertation will comprehensively explore the early history and ongoing emergence of sustainable preservation in the United States, including: the driving forces behind it, its relationship to other architectural disciplines, the key actors shaping it and their perceptions of the field, and possible future trajectories of the field. Through this analysis, I will trace not only the development of sustainable preservation itself, but also position the field in relation to larger narratives about the historical development of the architectural professions. My presentation relates most directly to Track D: Energy Use and Conservation: Exploring the Potential. Since buildings are a primary contributor to energy consumption and carbon emissions, they must also be a significant component of any effort to combat climate change. Demand for energy- efficient buildings and sustainable building materials is growing rapidly, and an increasing number of architecture schools are offering courses and degree programs in sustainable design. Yet the dominant form of

3 sustainable design in the United States today, both in practice and in academia, is characterized by what Simon Guy and Graham Farmer (2001) call an eco- technical approach, which emphasizes global, universal, high- tech, and eco- efficient technological solutions to environmental problems. The dominance of eco- technical sustainable design, and the focus on high- tech solutions and emphasis on new construction, has created an ideological blind spot in the field, leading advocates to emphasize new construction and technologies. My research is interested in sustainability as it relates to the renovation, maintenance, and preservation of existing building stock. Describe the development of the field of sustainable preservation in the United States, and the different groups shaping the field. * Discuss the conflicts and opportunities for collaboration between the fields of historic preservation (heritage conservation) and sustainable architecture through sustainable preservation. * Describe how sustainable preservation might fit within the larger field of architecture, into architectural design programs, and into existing professional associations. CS24c: A Master of Science in Preservation Engineering: One Curriculum Speaker: Kelly Streeter, Vertical Access LLC, New York, NY USA The need for a degree- granting program in preservation engineering has been researched, debated and discussed extensively in the preservation community over the past 10 years. With the Colloquium on the Development of Curricula in Heritage Preservation Engineering, which was funded by the NCPTT in 2007, we were given a cohesive narrative describing the extensive challenges to the creation of this type of program at existing preservation and engineering programs. The University of Vermont, the host of the Colloquium, has successfully created thesis tracks in preservation engineering by helping students apply for grants to complete preservation engineering projects. But to date, no existing academic institutions have succeeded in developing a series of courses as a comprehensive curriculum in the principles of preservation engineering. Three years ago, Pat Morrissey from Conspec took the conversation to a new level when he began discussing the prospect of his alma mater being an appropriate location to experiment with developing such a curriculum. Originating with a group on LinkedIn, the conversation evolved until 2010, when director Moujalli Hourani of Manhattan College s School of Civil Engineering began to experiment with the use of local adjunct professors to develop and teach Preservation Engineering courses. Much of the engineering student body of Manhattan College is comprised of working professionals; evening course schedules allow both professors and students to work full time while pursuing engineering degree- granting curricula. Introduction to Engineering Investigations was offered for the first time in 2010 followed by Introduction to Preservation Engineering. The third course, titled The Restoration of Historic Buildings: Discovery Design and Execution, ran for the first time in the Spring 2013 semester. The professionals working in the program need to continue to collaborate to ensure all new courses fit into a cohesive curriculum. The extensive use of adjunct professors and guest lecturers allows an on- site evaluation of both the lecturer and the material; adjunct professors can encourage student feedback and observe students reaction, to both guest lecturers and the individual topics. They are also able to provide feedback regarding the amount class time allocated to each area of study within the

4 course subsequent semesters could dedicate more classroom time to complex or stimulating subjects, for example. The newest course has been designed to walk students through the sequence of phases of a typical restoration project: Discovery, Design and Execution. For instance, the discovery chapter explores archival research, construction history, site inspections, NDE and probes. Given their respective breadth and relative level of student interest, stand- alone courses could be dedicated to the subjects of construction history, archaic structural systems, and NDE. A degree- granting program requires meeting the criteria of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). This process will take years. The continuous involvement and advocacy by preservation professionals is required to continue momentum in this goal. CS24d: Preserving the Preservation Trades: New York City's Mather Building Arts and Craftsmanship High School Speaker: Stephen Spaulding, National Park Service, Northeast Region, Lowell, MA USA Co- presenter: Naomi Kroll Hassebroek, National Park Service, Northeast Region, New York, NY In September 2013, the Stephen T. Mather Building Arts and Craftsmanship High School will open in lower Manhattan with its first class of 108 freshmen. Mather High School (named after the National Park Service s founder and first director) is a New York City public high school, developed by the NYC Department of Education in close partnership with the National Park Service. Mather will be one of New York City s Career and Technical Education (CTE) high schools, providing its students with hands- on instruction in the preservation trades including carpentry, masonry, plastering, decorative finishes, and landscaping, while giving them a field- based introduction to preservation philosophy and methodology. As in all New York City high schools, a college preparatory academic curriculum will also be followed, drawing from and relating to content in the trade classes wherever possible. Preservation is a field particularly well suited to an integrated curriculum because of the combination of hands- on skills, knowledge, and critical thinking that it requires. The four- year CTE curriculum, whose details will be discussed, has been developed in consultation with committees of experienced practitioners from each of the trades who will remain involved as the program grows year by year. Upon graduation, students will be prepared to take an entry level job in one of the trades; to enter an apprenticeship; or to attend college, possibly in a preservation- related field of study. It is recognized that mastery of any trade cannot be attained in four years of high school, but that a solid foundation can be laid for employment or further study encompassing hand skills, professional culture, material understanding, and preservation principles. New York City and its wealth of preservation activity (past and present) will function as a laboratory for the students, both for field study and practice. A full- time National Park Service preservation crew working on NPS sites such as Castle Clinton, the south side of Ellis Island and Governor s Island will provide demonstration, internship, and mentoring opportunities. Internships will also be available through the NYC Parks and Recreation Department and with practitioners working in the private sector. The school was conceived as an opportunity to address two urgent issues that, while present everywhere reach a critical mass in a large city: the need to offer public high school students (many of

5 whom have not found traditional educational models engaging or effective for learning) relevant hands- on experiences that will impart practical career skills; and the need to bring a new generation of trained practitioners into the preservation trades, the demand for which are ever increasing. It is hoped that this school, its structure, and its integrated academic and trade curricula will form a model that can be replicated by other school systems in other cities, as the Career and Technical Education paradigm becomes more widely adopted, and the need for preservation skills and understanding continues to grow as our cities age and expand. This paper will conclude with a report from the first month of the school s operation, including images of the first class in their newly built- out shop areas as they begin their hands- on exploration of the building arts. Describe the Career and Technical Education (CTE) model, and how it relates to historic preservation. * Discuss the relevance of secondary preservation trade education to the contemporary city. * Give examples of a core curriculum skills and knowledge for one of the preservation trades, and specific ways that these can be integrated with academic study.