Class Weekend Report: Preservation Design Studio and Contemporary Preservation Practice

Building conservation faculty and students gathered this past Friday and Saturday for the Contemporary Preservation Practice class and Preservation Design Studio.

As previously mentioned, Contemporary Preservation Practice is taught by Ruth Pierpont, Director, Field Services Bureau, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. This week's class featured guest speakers Mary Ivey from the NYS Department of Transportation's Environmental Analysis Bureau, and James Jamieson, Capitol Architect, NYS Office of General Services, Design and Construction.

In Preservation Design Studio, students reported on the data they collected and analyzed over the previous two weeks, reviewed historic photographs and maps, and worked in teams using maps, tracing paper, and other materials to delineate strenghts, weaknesses, opportunities and threats within the Congress Street corridor and determine whether additional information is needed.

The students were also divided into 2-3 person teams to begin drafting various sections of an inventory and analysis of existing conditions within the Congress Street corridor. Many students also braved the cold and spent time taking photographs and evaluating building conditions on Congress Street and in the surrounding neighborhood.

Our next classes will be held February 23rd and 24th, and will include Preservation Design Studio, Contemporary Preservation Practice, and Preservation Law, which is taught by Dorothy Miner.

We will update this post with photographs later this week.