Historic Preservation : Department Overview
Last modified: 07.29.07
Historic preservation addresses change responsive to the historic environment. At a time when society increasingly realizes the historical and cultural value of that inherited environment and what has been lost through the destruction of buildings, landscapes, and communities, the field of historic preservation has become central to the design, adaptive use, planning, and management of buildings, cities, and regions. By understanding the time dimension in human culture, it identifies history as an integrated component of the continuous change responsible for the material, psychological, and symbolic qualities of our environment. The Graduate Program in Historic Preservation provides an integrated approach for architects, landscape architects, planners, historians, archaeologists, conservators, managers, and other professionals to understand, sustain, and transform the existing environment.
The identification and analysis of cultural places and their historic fabric,
the determination of significance and value, and the design of appropriate conservation
and management measures require special preparation in history, theory, documentation,
technology, and planning. These subjects form the core of the program, which
students build upon to define an area of emphasis including building conservation,
site management, landscape preservation, preservation planning, and preservation
design for those with a previous design degree.
Through coursework and dedicated
studios and laboratories at the School of Design as well as through partnerships
with other national and international institutions and agencies, students have
unparalleled opportunities for study, internships, and sponsored research. Graduates
can look toward careers focused on the design and preservation of the world's
cultural heritage including buildings, engineering works, cultural landscapes,
archaeological sites, and historic towns and cities.
Areas of Emphasis
(see diagram at bottom for graphical representation)
Site Management
The modern concept of cultural heritage is related to the development of
contemporary society, its values and requirements. Using history and preservation
as a basis for economic and environmental sustainability and development, training
in site management requires knowledge of inventory, documentation, evaluation,
public policy, finance, communications, and administration. Such work is normally
undertaken in both the public and private sectors by various planning, historical,
and regulatory agencies including governmental and non-governmental organizations,
and by foundations, not-for-profit corporations, developers, and consulting
firms. top
Building Conservation
Conservation encompasses the material documentation, analysis, conditions
diagnosis, testing, monitoring, and treatment of buildings and sites. It is
the technical means by which the whole spectrum of preservation interventions
can be ultimately accomplished on a broad range of issues. Work opportunities
within this specialization include private and public institutions such as
federal and state agencies, and private practice such as architectural and
technical consulting firms. top
Preservation
Planning
No component of the historic environment can be beneficially preserved in
isolation. By providing for the establishment of essential continuities while
defining strategies for change, planning is a fundamental component of preservation
just as preservation is a means to planning. This entails expertise in policy,
law, and economics as well as in history and physical planning. Such work is
normally undertaken in both the public and private sectors by various planning,
historical, and regulatory agencies including governmental and non-governmental
organizations, and by foundations, not-for-profit corporations, developers,
and consulting firms. top
Landscape Preservation
The preservation and management of cultural and historic landscapes require
complex training in landscape history, ethnography, ecology, regional planning,
and the materiality of the built and natural environment. As the physical result
of human interaction with the natural world, cultural landscapes as common
and designed places require preservation strategies that incorporate sensitive
design with responsible conservation and management. top
Preservation Design
Increasingly, many architectural problems require design professionals with
special training in the creative and sensitive modification of existing structures
and sites. For architects and designers who choose to broaden their professional
expertise by preparing for such specialized practice, detailed knowledge of
history and preservation theory and technology is essential for good design.
This emphasis is available only to joint architecture and urban design degree/certificate
candidates and individuals with design backgrounds. Selected courses are tailored
to meet the interests and needs of individual students. top
