Course Offerings

SUMMER 2013 PRAXIS COURSE

HSPV 750-920 HERITAGE CONSERVATION PRAXIS
SUMMER 2013/1 CU
MATERO & STAFF
July 21 - August 18, 2013

Conservation Praxis is an intensive 4 week summer course designed for architectural conservation and site management majors that builds on the core curriculum and the first year conservation and site management courses. The syllabus is organized around project fieldwork supplemented by lectures, demonstrations, and site visits that will allow students to experience firsthand the design and execution of conservation strategies and solutions for historic structures and sites. Through a partnership with Montana Preservation Alliance and the Archie Bray Foundation, students engage in the recording, planning, and treatment of selected sites under the supervision of Penn and guest faculty and professional consultants. Prerequisite: HSPV 540 American Building Technology or HSPV 555 Conservation Science.

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FALL 2013 COURSES

AMERICAN BUILDING TECHNOLOGY
HSPV 540-001
FALCK
WEDNESDAY, 9:00 - 12:00

Presentation of traditional construction materials and methods of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries in North America. Structural and decorative building components including brick and stone masonry, terra cotta, wood framing, millwork, metals, roofing, and plaster will be discussed. Steel and concrete framing systems, underpinning and temporary support systems are also broadly covered, together with early curtain wall systems.

DIAGNOSTICS AND MONITORING
HSPV 516-001
HENRY
FRIDAY, 2:00 - 5:00

Building diagnostics pertain to the determination of the nature of a building's condition or performance and the identification of the corresponding causative pathologies by a careful observation and investigation of its history, context and use, resulting in a formal opinion by the professional. Monitoring, a building diagnostic tool, is the consistent observation and recordation of a selected condition or attribute, by qualitative and/or quantitative measures over a period of time in order to generate useful information or data for analysis and presentation. Building diagnostics and monitoring allow the building professional to identify the causes and enabling factors of past or potential pathologies in a building and building systems, thus informing the development appropriate interventions or corrective measures. In the case of heritage buildings, the process informs the selection of interventions that satisfy the stewardship goals for the cultural resource.

ADVANCED CONSERVATION SCIENCE
HSPV 656-001/101
STAFF
WEDNESDAY, 9:00 - 12:00 & 2:00 - 5:00 (LAB)

Prerequisite(s): HSPV 555, Conservation Science or Permission of the Instructor. A methodological approach to the examination and analysis of historic building materials. Practical analytical techniques appropriate for conservation practice include: optical microscopy, wet chemical procedures for qualitative and quantitative analysis of organic and inorganic materials, such as microchemistry, histochemistry, titrimetry, etc. Theoretical and practical applications of advanced procedures for instrumental analysis including atomic and molecular spectroscopies, thermal analysis, and x-ray techniques will be discussed. Course material will be taught through lectures, laboratory sessions, and readings.

CONSERVATION SEMINAR: WOOD/MASONRY
HSPV 740-301
DE MUZIO / FEARON / INGRAFFIA
MONDAY, 6:00 - 9:00

Module 1: Wood - David de Muzio and Andrew Fearon
Prior to the twentieth century, most structures found in the built environment relied upon wood as a primary material for both structural members and decorative features. An understanding of the physical properties as well as the historic application of this organic material provides the basis for formulating solutions for a wide spectrum of conservation issues. As the scope of preserving wooden structures and wooden architectural elements is continually broadened, new methods and technology available to the conservator together allow for an evolving program - one that is dependent upon both consistent review of treatments and more in depth study of craft traditions. This course seeks to illustrate and address material problems typically encountered by stewards of wooden cultural heritage - among them structural assessment, bio-deterioration, stabilization and replication techniques. Through a series of lectures and hands-on workshops given by representative professionals from the fields of wood science, conservation, entomology, engineering, and archeology, theoretical and practical approaches to retaining wooden materials will be examined with the goal to inform the decision making process of future practicing professionals.

Module 2: Masonry - Roy Ingraffia
This seminar will offer an in-depth study of the conservation of masonry buildings and monuments with a particular focus on American building stone. Technical and aesthetic issues will be discussed as they pertain to the understanding required for conservation practice. Part 1 will address a broad range of building stone, masonry construction technologies, and deterioration phenomenon; Part 2 will concentrate on conservation methodology as well as past and current approaches for the treatment of stone masonry structures. The subject will be examined through published literature and case studies. Students will gain practical experience through lab and field exercises and demonstrations. The subject matter is relevant to interested students of conservation and preservation, architecture, landscape architecture, architectural history, and archaeology.

AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE
HSPV 521-001
WUNSCH
WEDNESDAY, 2:00 - 5:00

The development of architecture and its descendant modes in the United States is presented through an examination of work by leading architects. Major designs are related to influential stylistic patterns as a basis for historic evaluation of more anonymous examples, and current stylistic terminology is critically evaluated.

THEORIES OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION
HSPV 660-301
MASON
TUESDAY, 1:30 - 4:30

Theories of historic preservation serve as models for practice, integrating the humanistic, artistic, design, scientific and political aspects of the field. This course examines the historical evolution of historic preservation, reviews theoretical frameworks and issues, and explores current modes of practice. Emphasis is placed on literacy in the standard preservation works and critical assessment of common preservation concepts. In addition to readings and lectures, case studies from contemporary practice will form the basis for short assignments. Professional ethics are reviewed and debated. The instructor's permission is required for any student not registered in the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation.

PRESERVATION THROUGH PUBLIC POLICY
HSPV 572-001
HOLLENBERG
FRIDAY, 9:00 - 12:00

An exploration of the intersection between historic preservation, design, and public policy. That exploration is based on the recognition that a network of law and policy at the federal, state and local level has profound impact on the ability to manage cultural resources, and that the pieces of that network, while interconnecting, are not necessarily mutually supportive. The fundamental assumption of the course is that the preservation professional must understand the capabilities and deficiencies of this network in order to be effective. The course will look at a range of relevant and exemplary laws and policies existing at all levels of government, examining them through case studies and field exercises.

DOCUMENTATION: ARCHIVAL RESEARCH & THE INTERPRETATION OF HISTORICAL DATA
HSPV 600-001
WUNSCH
TUESDAY, 9:00 - 12:00

The goal of this class is to help students build on their understanding of materials that record and contextualize the history of places. As in past iterations of the course, a centerpiece of the class will be first-hand exposure to the actual mate¬rials of building histories. We will visit a half-dozen key archival repositories, and students will work directly with historical evidence, both textual and graphic, exercising their facility through projects. We will explore various forms of docu¬mentation, discussing each in terms of its nature, especially the motives for its creation and some ways it might find effective use. Philadelphia is more our laboratory than a primary focus in terms of content, as the city is extremely rich institutions that hold over three centuries of such materials, and students will find here both an exposure to primary documents of most of the species they might find elsewhere, as well as a sense of the culture of such institutions and the kinds of research strategies that can be most effective.

DIGITAL MEDIA FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
HSPV 624-001/101
HINCHMAN
MONDAY, 9:00 - 12:00 &
THURSDAY, 5:00 - 7:00 (LAB)

A required praxis course designed to introduce students to the techniques and application of digital media for visual and textual communication. Techniques will be discussed for pres¬ervation use including survey, documentation, relational data¬bases, and digital imaging and modeling.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION STUDIO
HSPV 701-201
MASON/BARUCCO/WANG
MONDAY, 1:00 - 6:00 &
THURSDAY, 1:00 - 6:00

The studio is a practical course in planning urban and regional conservation areas, bringing to bear the wide range of skills and ideas at play in the field of historic preservation. Recognizing that historical areas are complex entities where cultural and socio-economic realities, land use, building types, and the legal and institutional setting are all closely interrelated, the main focus of the studio is understanding the cultural significance of the built environment, and the relation of this significance to other economic, social, political and aesthetic values. Through the documentation and analysis of a selected study area, the studio undertakes plannning exercises for an historical area, carries out documentation and historical research, and creates policies and projects. The studio seeks to demonstrate how, through careful evaluation of problems and potentials, preservation planning can respond to common conflicts between the conservation of cultural and architectural values and the pressure of social forces, economic interest, and politics.

The studio focuses on a specific area in need of comprehensive preservation effort, most often in Philadelphia proper. Students work in consultation with local preservation and planning groups, community representatives, and faculty advisors to research and analyze the study area, define major preservation planning problems and opportunities, formulate policies, and propose preservation plans and actions.

CONSERVATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES AND LANDSCAPES
HSPV 747-401/ANTH 508
MATERO/ERICKSON
TUESDAY, 6:00 - 9:00

Archaeological sites and landscapes have long been considered places of historical and cultural significance and symbols of national and ethnic identity. More recently they have offered new opportunities for economic and touristic development in both urban and rural settings. With a unique set of physical conditions including fragmentation, illegibility, environmental exposure and material deterioration as well as limited and often conflicted use value, their conservation, management, and interpretation as heritage places require special knowledge and methodologies.

This seminar will address the history, theories, and realities of the preservation and display of archaeological sites and landscapes. The course will draw from a wide range of published material and experiences representing both national and international contexts. Topics will include site and landscape documentation and recording; site formation and degradation; intervention strategies including interpretation, display, and exhibits; and legislation, policy, and contemporary issues of descendent community ownership.

The course is organized as a seminar incorporating readings, lectures, and discussions focused on major themes. Readings have been selected to provide exposure to seminal works in the development of theory and method as well as current expressions of contemporary practice. The first half of the course will be devoted to the history and theory of site and landscape conservation globally with a focus on those aspects that define and distinguish archaeological sites and landscapes from other heritage places. The second half of the course will allow student working groups to define and identify seminal readings and projects related to key issues: site display, tourism and development, risk and threat, public interaction, etc. This work will provide the backdrop for an international colloquium of invited speakers in spring 2014, co-partnered with the Getty Conservation Institute.

The course will draw its participants from across the departments of the School of Design and the School of Arts and Sciences to create a truly cross-disciplinary body of talent.

TOPICAL SEMINAR:
19th STREET BAPTIST CHURCH
HSPV 741-301
MATERO
THURSDAY, 9:00 - 12:00

Departmental Topical Seminars are offered periodically depending on faculty interest and contemporary issues. This year the seminar will focus on the preservation of 19th Street Baptist Church. Originally the Memorial Church of the Holy Comforter, the church and parish house complex is a polychromatic marvel designed by Furness & Hewitt, and their only surviving work built of serpentine. Constructed from 1874-1875, during the completion of Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, it bears all the traits of their High Victorian Gothic work: a picturesque arrangement of volumes, with a separate church and Sunday School building; a lively spiky roofline with a tower that once stood 120 feet high; and richly contrasting materials in the green stone from Delaware County, creamy yellow sandstone from Ohio, brownstone, and local marble, and a richly polychromatic slate roof (now replaced). According to Michael Lewis, the church was built as a memorial to parishioner Martha R. Lewis, and was richly decorated containing several memorial tablets, a lectern in the form of an eagle, and an ornamental reredos of gold on a blue ground. The chandeliers were by Baker & Arnold, Philadelphia's most important manufacturers of decorative lamps. The church lost most of these furnishings when it closed in 1944. It was subsequently acquired by the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church. According to Lewis, other than the Academy of the Fine Arts, most of the High Victorian work of the firm has vanished, and the Nineteenth Street Baptist -- a landmark in South Philadelphia - is one of a tiny handful of buildings from the creative peak of the Furness & Hewitt collaboration.

Escalating deterioration, a dwindling congregation, and development pressures all threaten the survival of this Philadelphia gem. As a result the topical seminar this semester will devote itself to the study of the church, its context and physical, social and technical challenges. We will first look at the issue of religious properties and their preservation concerns nationally and locally, then focus on the building complex-its context, design, and technical issues. Individuals will report each week on their assignments and contribute to a larger database from which we will all draw. Individual projects in the second half will allow each to develop the problems defined and researched in the first half. There will be much fieldwork including engagement with the congregation, clergy, and local and foreign professionals as well as the building itself through physical examination and model treatment of the masonry, interior finishes, stained glass, plasterwork, carpentry and tiles. The course will be run as a professional office whereby students will assume the role of junior partners and take responsibility for identifying and pursuing the components of a conservation plan. The course will be joined by colleagues Aaron Wunsch, Mike Lewis and Jeff Cohen. Space is limited so sign up early.
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HSPV Fall 2013 Course Schedule