Restoring historic buildings is inherently sustainable, preserving the embodied energy of a space and keeping that building material out of landfills. Advances in green technology and sustainable building practices can and should be incorporated into historic renovations whenever possible. In this webinar we'll hear three perspectives on this topic, with specific examples of successful sustainable preservation.
Panelists:
Nakita Reed, AIA, CPHC, LEED AP BD+C, NOMA | Associate at Quinn Evans
Melissa Auf der Maur | Co-Founder and Director of Basilica Hudson and River House Project
Evan Mason, LEED GA | Sustainable Homes+Yards
Moderated by: Angel Ayón, AIA, LEED AP | AYON Studio Architecture • Preservation, P.C.
Thanks to our program sponsor: Peggy N. & Roger G. Gerry Charitable Trust
©2017 GEORGE HOLZ
Melissa Auf der Maur is Co-Founder and Director of Basilica Hudson and River House Project. From 1994-1999, Auf der Maur was a member and bass player of the alternative rock band Hole and is featured on the Grammy nominated album, Celebrity Skin. She joined the Smashing Pumpkins in 2000, for their Farewell World Tour. She has also released two solo albums, Auf der Maur (2004) and Out of Our Minds (2010). The latter project comprises an album, a comic book, and a short film. Auf der Maur’s photographs have been exhibited internationally, including at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and have appeared in such publications as Spin, Elle, Nylon, and American Photo. In 2010 with filmmaker Tony Stone, she co-founded Basilica Hudson, a multidisciplinary nonprofit arts center housed in a reclaimed industrial factory in Hudson, NY. Basilica Hudson welcomes over 40,000 visitors each season to a range of music festivals and performances alongside a regular film screenings series, art exhibitions, large marketplace events and other community gatherings. Years later Auf der Maur and Stone also co-founded River House Project, a restored 1903 elementary school turned work studio facility for film professionals and other creative enterprises, also in Hudson, NY. She was born in Montreal, Canada and raised with a fine arts education, focusing on music and photography.
Evan Mason is the principal of Sustainable Homes + Yards, a residential interior design firm that incorporates historic preservation and green building science with interior and space design. Evan has long sought to break down the barriers between historic preservation and sustainability and is particularly interested in exploring and prioritizing which steps towards energy efficiency the average homeowner can affordably undertake.
Evan’s background in historic preservation and interior design informs all her energy efficiency and sustainability work, arriving at innovative, modern and cost-effective solutions to design spaces that satisfy three goals: 1) preserve the historic fabric of buildings; 2) reduce a building’s carbon footprint and operations and maintenance costs while considering how mechanical systems can take a minimum of space; and 3) create beautiful and comfortable interiors while providing clean air and water.
Evan currently serves on the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability Industry Advisory Council, on the NY League of Conservation Voters Executive Committee, and is also co-chair of the Policy and Program Committee. As NYC Chapter board member, she has recently interviewed 50+ candidates for city council and other positions for the upcoming 2021 primary races, focusing on candidates’ commitment to environmental policy. She also serves on the board of GreenHomeNYC. She has published research on the environmental benefits of urban open spaces, attained certification as a Multi-Family Performance Analyst (BPI MFBA) and is a LEED GA. She has a Masters in Urban Planning from Hunter College of Urban Affairs and Urban Planning, a Masters in Social Work and Services from Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work, and a Bachelors of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College.
An award-winning architect with experience throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Nakita Reed is skilled in the preservation, restoration, and adaptive use of historic buildings, with a focus on sustainable strategies in design and construction. She has a Master of Architecture and a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia. She is a registered architect, a LEED®-Accredited Professional, and a certified Passive House Consultant.
In 2012, she co-founded a woman-owned boutique architecture firm that specialized in historic preservation and sustainable design. Looking to make a bigger impact, she joined Quinn Evans’ Baltimore office as an Associate in 2019 to continue blending historic preservation and sustainable design. She serves on the boards of Preservation Maryland, the Baltimore Architecture Foundation and is a past chair of the Maryland Green Building Council. She is also the host of Tangible Remnants, a podcast that explores the intersection of architecture, preservation, sustainability, race & gender.
Personal website: www.NakitaReed.com | Smartsheet for Architects: www.smartsheet4architects.com | Podcast IG & FB handle: @tangibleremnants
As both an Architect and Preservationist, Angel Ayón, AIA, NCARB, NOMA, LEED AP has more than twenty five years of experience working with historic buildings. Trained in his native Havana, Cuba, Washington, D.C., and New York City, his expertise ranges from building-envelope evaluation and repair to full-scale rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of commercial and residential properties, as well as cultural and educational institutions.
Angel believes it is the responsibility of the current generation to save and secure our built heritage as a cultural asset. He currently serves as Vice-President of Save Harlem Now! and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Historic Districts Council, the Historic Preservation Committee of The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS), and the Board of Trustees of the Preservation League of the NY State and the James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation. He is also an active member of Columbia University’s Preservation Alumni, as well as the AIA, NCARB, nycoba/NOMA, USGBC, APTi, APT NE, US/ICOMOS, and Docomomo.
Angel holds a professional degree in Architecture and a Master of Science in Conservation and Rehabilitation of the Built Heritage from Havana’s Higher Polytechnic Institute, as well as a Post-Graduate Certificate in Conservation of Historic Buildings and Archaeological Sites from Columbia University in New York.