With 35 years in the profession and 30 of those in historic preservation, I wholeheartedly agree with Normal Alston's comments. I often work as a consultant to architects who are not familiar with preservation, the creativity it allows and the excitement of breathing new life into a discarded building. I will throw in to this conversation that sometimes, setting one's ego aside and letting the building speak for what it needs and the design statement it already makes is the hardest thing for many architects. Designing a new building allows an architect to express themselves and bask in the glow that goes hand in hand with that expressionism. Putting that ego trip aside is very difficult for many architects, especially if it's in an area, like preservation, where they have little or no training and experience. Putting an addition on a historic building is crippling for someone who can't get their ego under control.
Grace A.M. Smith, RA, LEED AP
Designsmiths
616-866-4089
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Skyla,
An interesting topic that I actually get to discuss regularly. Glad to share some thoughts with you:
What is your position/profession/background? (for POV context)
I am an architect in my 41st year of practice. 31 of those years have been spent dedicated to historic preservation, the focus of the firm I founded. In addition to architectural practice, I have served for much of that time and continue to serve on various professional committees, non-profit boards and regulatory boards and commissions, local and state-wide, all focused on historic preservation. With Modernist schooling and 10 years of conventional architectural practice prior to specializing in historic preservation, I think I have an informed view of both sides of this issue.
Do you think there is a disconnect between architects and preservationists that impacts the efficacy and success of their interdisciplinary interactions in practice?
Yes
What do you think are the causes of this disconnect?
They are very different approaches to architecture with historic preservation techniques being far and away less commonly understood. The design and construction industry (owners, architects, engineers and contractors) is focused on new construction, as it always has been in the US. The techniques that have been developed to make new construction attractive and efficient often don't translate well to renovations in general, and historic preservation in particular.
Do you think that architects and preservationists hold stereotypical assumptions about the other field that subsequently impacts their interdisciplinary communications and negotiations in practice?
Stereotypes certainly exist, but the problem is a basic conflict between approaches to a project stemming from a lack of understanding of what is required of each. When I have worked on the regulatory side of preservation, I have always noted that my biggest and most frequent problems come from intelligent, sincere, talented, well-intentioned architects who have no idea of the goals and techniques of modern preservation practice. They do not understand the goals of preservation and their commonly held assumptions about historic buildings are wrong.
Can you summarize these assumptions as you believe they are held?
The assumptions are common, surprisingly widely held and generally incorrect, such as high cost for preservation, inflexibility or resistance to modern systems, difficult and esoteric approval processes, and especially the idea that historic preservation is only about the aesthetic, the look, which ignores the underpinning concept of preserving authenticity.
What do you think can be done to attain more productive interdisciplinary communication between architects and preservationists as it relates to the practice of preservation?
Education about the differences is the primary need. We have been very active in the local AIA to add preservation to CEU options, chapter programs, policies, awards programs, and publications. With the revelation that preservation is also a very sustainable practice, the opportunity to bridge this understanding gap may be at hand.
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Norman Alston, FAIA
Principal
Norman Alston Architects
Dallas, Texas
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