This panel is presented by Walter Sedovic Architects | Modern Ruins and Landmark Facilities Group, in collaboration with the League’s Future of Preservation webinar series.
From the ashes of a near-apocalyptic year, silver linings are emerging, illuminating approaches to how communities may begin again to safely and sustainably interact within both our built and natural environments. As we seek to refine and re-engage myriad programs and institutions that underpin our lives and define our neighborhoods, it can be stimulating to see how the confluence of history, science, technology and innovation successfully managed pandemics and other public health concerns for many generations, well before the advent of vaccines. Those early approaches – endemic to many heritage buildings – remain powerful examples that can instruct our approaches to today's health concerns, providing useful guardrails and precedents.
Essentially, this is a process of rediscovery, embracing a central tenet of architects' ancient art:
discerning human needs and desires – environmental, social, healthful, aspirational;
evaluating options; and
divining solutions that are at once responsive, durable and inspired.
Preserving this foundational approach is an ideal form of advocacy for history to repeat itself.
As our physical environments once again become settings to nourish social relationships and provide gateways to the larger world around us, there is likely to be corresponding demand to demonstrate that they also are safe zones, unencumbered by threat of contagion. Well-crafted heritage buildings, forged with the advancements of their day, are also steeped in tradition and empirical knowledge. They possess inherent traits that often render them highly adaptable to modern needs, while addressing a more transcendent agenda, one that enhances emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing. The oil embargo of the 1970s changed our sensitivities, though, birthing a feverish rush to re-engineer our heritage – vanquishing (but not obliterating) many of the favorable features that we now need to re-engage. This trend toward overlooking healthful, inherent attributes of historic buildings continues to this day. Insofar as these features still remain, often largely intact and ready to be rediscovered and put back into service, can be a revelation for stewards of heritage properties, one that is both exhilarating and economical.
Creating healthy environments that nurture innovative programs in the wake of a pandemic is an exercise of four inter-related components:
Scientific: analyzing conditions on the basis of an expanding universe of knowledge and practice;
Architectonic: identifying and capitalizing on intrinsic benefits of early features that support modern goals;
Technological: incorporating refined approaches to mechanical systems, both passive and active;
Sensory: supporting a universal approach to wellness that ensures a sense of security when people are invited back in, breaking down barriers between outside and inside, re-evaluating traditional ways of defining space and – above all – recognizing this as our signal moment to re-imagine how buildings can best serve to foster engagement and inclusion.
Case studies focus on holistic approaches to issues of space and wellbeing; blending physical with emotional; rediscovering and re-evaluating existing buildings' inherent qualities and readily adaptable nature; safety and security; optimizing programmatic needs; expanding accessibility; defining internal connectivity, circulation & egress; providing spatial flexibility; adapting seating plans; evaluating occupancy and density; accommodating emerging live/work needs; systems adaptation and optimization; and refining means and methods of maintenance and operation.
Our buildings have the capacity to engender emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing...and to operate more efficiently while doing so.
Meet the panelists:
Walter Sedovic FAIA FAPT RP LEED, Principal & CEO WSA|ModernRuins, has dedicated his career to sustainable preservation. His work and firm represent the vanguard of infusing heritage sites with green building approaches and ideologies while maintaining authenticity and a visceral connection to community and context. Each project incorporates strategies to enrich, inform and strengthen cultural ties and stewardship. The success of his firm’s approach is revealed in the consistent quality of its work, particularly at sites where projects are more comprehensive and complex. The firm’s numerous awards and media attention attest to the respect and interest of his peers and the general population. Walter is a sought after speaker internationally and was honored to serve as Guest Editor of the Association for Preservation Technology International’s Sustainable Preservation edition of the Bulletin. Walter has been distinguished with elevation to the American Institute of Architects’ and the Association for Preservation Technology’s prestigious Colleges of Fellows.
Jill Gotthelf AIA FAPT RP, Principal, WSA|ModernRuins, sets a prodigious standard for the open exchange of ideas among peers, clients & constituents, resulting in projects, workshops, presentations & publications that embody the essence of sustainable preservation. She embraces a holistic view of sustainability, pushing beyond the limits of the traditional definition to establish a balance between economics, environment, social and cultural equity, authenticity, and education. Under her guidance as both Founding Member and Chair (2007-2013), the Association of Preservation Technology International’s Technical Committee on Sustainable Preservation, has become a preeminent resource for collecting & disseminating cutting edge philosophy, technology & tools for the preservation community. Her formidable achievements led to Jill’s elevation into APTI’s esteemed College of Fellows. She currently serves on APTI’s Board of Directors, is Chair of the Advisory Board for the AIA Historic Resources Committee and has recently been appointed to the Government Advocacy Committee of the AIA’s Board of Directors.
Thomas Newbold PE LEED AP CFM CPMP, President of Landmark Facilities Group, Inc., an engineering firm specializing in the design of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems for architecturally significant cultural, commercial, & educational applications. Tom holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s of Business Administration and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Mechanical Engineering. His work has focused on unique engineered systems in buildings for over thirty years. Tom is an active advocate of sustainable designs for museums, libraries, archives, and historic sites and is a frequent speaker on various HVAC sustainable design initiatives. He has been an active member of the Association for Preservation Technology for many years and participates in the Professional Engineering Technical Committee and the Technical Committee for Sustainable Preservation. Tom is a WELL Accredited Professional, Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Building Commissioning Professional (BCxP) and a certified Green Building Engineer (GBE).
Troy Simpson, Director of Research and Operations at 3x3, a Visiting Instructor at Pratt Institute, and a doctoral candidate in environmental psychology at The Graduate Center, The City University of New York. At CUNY. Troy is a founding member of the User Design Information Group and a research associate at the Public Space Research Group. Troy’s research interests include human-environment relationships in public spaces as well as the application of social science research methods to architecture and urban design. Previously, Troy conducted research at the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, and he worked as a green building and policy advisor.