HRC IN NEW ORLEANS

Tom McGrath, FAIA, HRC Chair, moderates HRC workshop in New Orleans

Evolutionary or Revolutionary: The Role of a Traditional Sense of Place and Lessons Learned in the Recovery of Post-Katrina New Orleans Neighborhoods

The Committee’s all-day workshop, presented with AIA Residential Knowledge Community, on May 11th at the Convention was well attended and the conversation was spirited. The speakers represented a broad spectrum of professionals, architectural practice on the design, practice, leadership, technology, and collaboration that is represented by both preservation and in-fill single family residential structures in New Orleans neighborhoods such as the Lower Ninth Ward. HRC Chair H. Thomas McGrath, Jr., FAIA moderated the panel that included Robert J. Berkebile, FAIA, Steven B. Bingler, AIA, Tom Darden III, Andres M. Duany, FAIA, Patricia Gay, Lindsay Jonker, Ann M. Masson, Byron J. Mouton, AIA, Steve Mouzon, AIA, Daniela Rivero, and Steven Semes. Participants left with a nuanced understanding of the social, political, economic, and physical factors acting on architecture and preservation.

Historic Resources Committee Luncheon

A sold-out room learned from Scott Bernhard, AIA, Director of the Tulane City Center and Mintz Professor of Architecture at the Tulane School of Architecture, more about the history, geography, planning and architecture of pre-and-post-Katrina New Orleans than we thought possible to compress into 30 minutes.

Potential New Tax Credits for Historic Preservation

This week Congressional backers of historic preservation are planning to introduce two bills in the House of Representatives that will dramatically expand the use of the historic preservation tax credit to help revitalize both commercial and residential buildings. These bills will could create jobs, help architects bring older buildings and communities back, and save energy.

Reps. Michael Turner (R-OH) and Russ Carnahan (D-MO) are planning to introduce the Historic Homeownership Revitalization Act, which would create an incentive for homeowners similar to the one for historic commercial buildings. The bill would create a 20 percent tax credit (up to $60,000) for homeowners who make improvements to a principal residence in a registered historic district. The credit would also be available for developers who rehabilitate homes and sell them to individuals as their principal residence. Read More
 

• The Changing Face of the Architecture Profession
  Wendy Ornelas talks about addressing the changing face of the architecture profession, and distinguishes the differences between the baby boomer generation of architects and the emerging X and Y generations that will lead to this changing direction in the profession, with Michael Crosbie. iTunes | MP3
• A Global History of Architecture
  Listen in on a fascinating discussion with professor and author Francis D.K. Ching about his latest book, A Global History of Architecture—a work lauded as "unabashedly huge" in proportion and refreshingly unique in perspective. The work spans the globe from 3500 BCE to the present day, discussing certain styles and historical periods but dwelling primarily on specific architectural works. iTunes | MP3