A recent video (below) by Historic Preservation lecturer Andrew Fearon brings viewers along as students take part in a joinery fabrication lab, visit one of Louis Kahn’s nine built residences, and meet in the classroom—all in the study of wood conservation. The seminar, HSPV 704-301, offers students the opportunity to develop good practice, based on science, within a context of a holistic understanding of architecture and the built environment.
Prior to the 20th century, Fearon explains, most structures in the built environment relied on wood as a primary material for both structural members and decorative elements, making the understanding of wood central to historic preservation. Meanwhile, new methods and technologies are always becoming available, so his seminars and practicums are continually evolving.
One segment of the video documents a visit to Kahn's Margaret Esherick House in Philadelphia, completed in 1961, where students spent the day evaluating the condition of the house's extensive wood floors, cabinets, shutters, and railings with the goal of determining the best ways to keep the house in shape. One of the home’s current owners commented, “I was amazed by the amount of science and technology used to evaluate all of the environmental factors that impact wood like humidity, light, and temperature fluctuations.”
Shot on GoPro cameras, the footage offers a fly-on-the-wall look at the historic preservation program through hands-on workshops and lectures. Says Fearon, “I have struggled with good ways of documenting the course activities. Academic research papers and reports, site documentation or even video all seem to fall short of capturing the energy of the students, so we are trying time-lapse.”
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