Course Description / Studio in Building Preservation Spring Semester 2010 General course description The Studio in Building Preservation

ion is a major component of the MPS program, in which students focus on preservation issues and practices on a scale relating to individual structures, historic fabric and context, traditional building materials and techniques, site planning and interpretation, restoration vs. renovation, among others. The class is conducted both in the field and in the classroom, with three basic components to the class structure; the Monday night lectures, the Tuesday night studio workshop sessions, and the all-day Friday field sessions. There will also be two required weekend field trips. The first part of the semester focuses on the documentation of historic tombs and other structures in St. Roch Cemetery No. 1, while the remainder of the semester will focus on numerous structures, historic settings, and cultural landscapes of the Mississippi River Corridor / Creole Louisiana Region. Pedagogical goals Students will learn by doing, beginning with the HABS field documentation process and subsequent preparation of measured drawings in accordance with HABS standards. These skills are widely transferable to a variety of architectural and preservation professions. Students will learn about traditional and contemporary practices and conservation issues relating to masonry, wood construction, iron/ metalwork, roofing systems, foundation systems, decorative arts, as well as natural, cultural, and historic landscapes. Students will produce a series of high quality essays and illustrations, topics including mapping, site planning, architectural elevations, sections, floor plans, and details. Students will produce a professional quality publication summarizing the series of field exercises and each students findings. The HABS project accounts for 30% of final grade; the Field Report accounts for 50%, the Field Journal and class participation account for 20%. Monday night lectures The Monday night lecture series is comprised of a variety of activities, ranging from attendance of the TSA Lecture Series, class lectures relating to field activities, special visits from visiting professionals, and other academic exercises. Occasionally activities fro the Tuesday night studio workshop may overlap the Monday sessions. Attendance is required by all students. Please be flexible! TSA lectures begin at 6:00 pm and are generally held in room 201. Class will follow TSA lectures in room 204. Unless otherwise indicated all sessions will begin at 6:00 pm in room 204. Tuesday night studio workshop sessions MPS students have a unique opportunity this semester to learn a wide range of professional skills relating to architecture, historic preservation, and desktop publishing. Beginning with hand drafting, followed by an introduction to basic CADD, students will gain skills of the trade, with further exploration of digital media tools, such as InDesign, Photoshop, and other graphic programs. Students will also gain invaluable experience in the realm of ARC/GIS and its application to historic preservation research. MPS students are required to attend, unless excused in advance. Friday field sessions

The all-day Friday field sessions are a major component of the Building Preservation Studio. Decades of experience has proven the students learn about an incredible range of issues and to an amazing degree of detail and expertise through a series of field visits to historic sites. Whether working on the HABS project or the Preservation Studies Field Report, the Friday field trips are the basis for much primary research. Students will engage in a range of field exercises, such as field sketches, field notes, photography, collection of material, etc. Attendance is required by all students. Weekend field trips There will be two weekend field trips this semester, both of which are required. The first one will begin on a Friday, end on Sunday, and focus on the historic towns of St. Francisville, LA, and Natchez, MS. Students will visit numerous historic sites, such as grand mansions, lush period gardens, historic churches and cemeteries, urban and cultural landscapes. The second weekend field trip leaves on a Saturday, returns on Monday, and focuses on historic sites and landscape of central Louisiana. Culminating with a visit to the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) in Natchitoches, the class will visit sites from Lafayette and Opelousas to Alexandria and the Cane River region. Attendance is required by all students.

HABS / Cemetery project (30% of final grade)

(assigned 15 Jan / due 12 Feb) Students will engage in a series of structural documentation activities with the goal of completing HABS format drawings of tombs and other structures located in St. Roch Cemetery No. 1. As a continuation of the preservation studios focus on the Marigny/ New Marigny/ St. Roch neighborhoods, this cemetery was selected as the focus of this early-semester project. The object of this assignment is to quickly and efficiently conduct all field work, utilize standardized practices in field documentation, prepare field notes and measured drawings, complete historical research, and put together a report, all by Mardi Gras break. Introduction to St. Roch Cemetery No. 1 / Tomb selection The first field session is an introduction to the study site, in which students explore the cemetery and examine the range of architectural styles, construction materials and techniques, structural integrity and condition. Each student selects a specific tomb structure for the project focus, representing a range of types and issues, while two groups of three students each will focus on the larger structures on the site, the chapel and entrance gates.

Field documentation sessions / field notes, photography, etc. For two all-day Friday sessions students will work on measuring, sketching, photographing, and otherwise documenting the individual tomb and its immediate surroundings. Sessions will be supervised by faculty and TA Ian Daniels. If any student needs to spend more time at St. Roch No. 1 than allowed for in the two Friday sessions, please make arrangements with Ian for assistance.

Under no circumstances should any student visit the site unaccompanied. All field notes and sketches should be completed according to HABS standards; unacceptable field notes will need to be recopied appropriately. Measured drawings / HABS format Each student (or team) will complete a set of HABS format drawings of the tomb structure (or other structure) in accordance with Historic American Building Survey standards. The HABS program is the only WPA program still operational, and Tulane School of Architecture has contributed numerous drawings to the archive, housed in the Library of Congress. In addition to being submitted to the Library of Congress, particularly good projects may be entered for a Peterson Prize, the national HABS award. TSA has achieved this distinction several times in the past. Students will learn how to complete drawings utilizing hand-drafting and/or CADD. Drawings should include, but not be limited to, elevations, plan view/ site plan including location of adjacent structures and paving, details, dimensions, notes, and legend. Research / historical and genealogical report Each student will determine the identities of family members or other individuals associated with the tomb or structure, researching possible contributions or endeavors of significance made by those individuals. Sometime research results in a treasure trove of information, and often leads to innumerable dead ends. That is the nature of research, and as such should be included in the written report, hence the lack of specific length or minimum page numbers. Historic structures report / existing conditions / restoration proposal Each student with also prepare an historic structure report, briefly describing the state of the tomb/ other structure. Observations and analyses should be included, as well as research and recommendations for conservation, stabilization, or restoration. Again, information will vary, so there is no minimum length for the report. Final Presentation / Friday, 12 Feb 2010 At a time and location to e determined, students will pin up all drawings for final review. Each student will present a very brief PowerPoint presentation about their project, and then a formal review of all work will be conducted. Reviewers will include faculty, graduate assistants, alumni, and professionals. Students may revise drawings as required for inclusion in the portfolio.

Field Journal & class participation

(Assigned 19 Feb / final due date 30 Apr)

(20% of final grade)

Class participation Students are expected to fully participate in all class activities, including lectures, workshop sessions, field trips, and any other scheduled events. Everyone is responsible for notifying faculty in advance if it expected that a student will miss an activity or session. Non-excused absences will factor in unfavorably for final grading. Roll is taken at every class activity. Electronic devices may

be used during class, providing that such usage relates directly to class activities. Cell phones and other communication devices should be turned off or the ringer set on vibrate or silent. Students are expected to be actively engaged in class, ask questions, discuss issues at hand, take notes, make field sketches, take photos, collect materials, and other methods of recording information. Field Journal Each student will keep a field journal for recording field studies activities such as field sketches, field notes, collected material, images, maps, etc. Ideally the journal should be kept in a blank hardbound book format, notebook size, an item very familiar to architecture students. These are readily available at the TU bookstore, as well as at any art supply store. Students should carry the field notebook, or journal if you prefer, to all class activities, including lectures, workshop sessions, field trips, and any other scheduled events. Students will use the journal format to record any notes, sketches, diagrams, maps, details, etc. The graphic design of the field journal is up to the individual, allowing for artist license in creating the notebook. It will likely end up being a highly personalized creation, bulging out of its binding. Field journals will be checked sporadically throughout the semester by faculty and graduate assistants for feedback and direction. The primary purpose of the journal is to serve as a consolidated and somewhat organized repository of all class experiences, which will serve as the basis for the Preservation Studies Field Report. (see below)

Preservation Studies Field Report

(50% of final grade)

(Assigned 19 Feb / final due date 30 Apr) One of the primary products of the Studio in Building Preservation is the Preservation Studies Field Report, which is a cohesive document that thoroughly consolidates the sum of all class activities. The report is an individual project; each student is to produce his/ her own publication, which will contribute to the MPS portfolio that is required for graduation. Below are examples of the components and subjects that are covered in class sessions, and should therefore be included in the report. Exercises in building preservation One of the major aspects of the studio is the exposure to and discussion of conservation issues relating to historic structures. Numerous sites and buildings are included in the field sessions, each one exemplifying a range of areas of focus, such as masonry, timber frame, bousillage, brick-between-post, roofing, HVAC, etc. Each field session will address a range of documentation exercises, including mapping, site planning, architectural elevations, sections, floor plans, and details. A number of techniques will be explored as well, such as field sketching, measured drawings, photography, Global Information Systems, survey work, etc.

Weekly field report (due on Fridays) Each Friday field session will be documented in a brief essay to be written with a week of the field session. The essays should not simply state that the class visited the site, when it was built, and other pertinent facts. The essays should describe in the students own words what he/ she learned in the experience; what did he/ she like? Why? What did the student think about the sites visited, their interpretations, conditions, opportunities for learning, etc. Essays should be a minimum of 5 pages of text, double-spaced, 10-12 point, plus any images. Each essay is due on the Friday after the field session, unless otherwise indicated or announced. These essays will serve as a basis for the final publication, the Preservation Studies Field Report, which accounts for 50% of the final semester studio grade. Papers for the two weekend trips should be about 8-10 pages in length, plus images. Preservation Studies Field Report document The final product of the semesters work is the Field Report, which is basically a professional quality publication documenting everything covered in class. The document should reflect the entire range of topics covered, techniques learned, and information gathered in studio. Each student will produce a graphic design format / template for his/ her individual report, integrating digitalized information into the final product. Such information could include the revised essays, other pertinent notes and text, maps, drawings, photographs, and other graphic images. A great degree of creativity is encouraged, while maintaining a professional tone to the overall product. Students should apply all the graphic and technological skills explored in the studio workshop sessions in preparing the document. All sources and references must be properly acknowledged. The HABS drawings and report from the St. Roch project should also be integrated into the final document. Final Presentation / Friday, 30 Apr 2010 The final presentation / semester review will occur on Friday, 30 April, time and location to be determined. All students are expected to attend; no excuses accepted other than dire emergency. The presentation will be in the form of a PowerPoint slide show, in which each individual student presents a specific topic or topics. The class is expected to organize the overall presentation into a coherent professional quality format, in which students participate equally. The object of the presentation is to review the sites visited during the semester, as well as to discuss the various topics covered in class, such as masonry practices and materials or wood joinery and timber frame construction. The organization of information presented by students is the responsibility of the class as a whole, and everyone is expected to participate in the creation of the PowerPoint program.

Summary of Assignments
HABS / Cemetery project (30% of final grade) (assigned 15 Jan / due 12 Feb) Introduction to St. Roch Cemetery No. 1 / Tomb selection Field documentation sessions / field notes, photography, etc.

Measured drawings / HABS format Research / historical and genealogical report Historic structures report / existing conditions / restoration proposal Final Presentation / Friday, 12 Feb 2010

Field Journal & class participation (Assigned 19 Feb / final due date 30 Apr) Class participation Field Journal

(20% of final grade)

Preservation Studies Field Report (Assigned 19 Feb / final due date 30 Apr)

(50% of final grade)

Field exercises in building preservation Weekly field report (due on Fridays) Preservation Studies Field Report document

Final Presentation / Friday, 30 Apr 2010