An intimate group of 37 Architects, State Preservation Officers, and other preservation industry professionals met April 5-6 at Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece Taliesin West to take a deep dive into the topic of how historic buildings and properties might adapt to the dynamic and critically important issues of climate, equity, and resiliency.
Day one
We began at the macro level of strategies that organizations are using, and continued into the micro level of informative and inspirational case studies illustrating a range of projects that have successfully integrated such adaptations.
Focused panel discussions and plenty of networking time with peers from across the country rounded out the program.
Fred Prozzillo, Vice President of Preservation at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and former Taliesin Apprentice, welcomed the group with an overview of what the Foundation is doing at Taliesin West to address the issues associated with Adaptation, noting that they try to use the site as Wright intended: as an architecture lab meant to change year after year. Currently the Foundation is studying a roof replacement project which will change out the existing translucent fiberglass roofs for innovative fabric roof materials that will harken back to the early days of study at the Taliesin Fellowship. In addition, continuing and higher education opportunities through the Taliesin Institute are being developed—not to rebuild the original Fellowship—but to adapt the Institute’s educational initiatives to meet the needs of contemporary life, by addressing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues.
Keynote speaker Jean Carroon, FAIA of Goody Clancy was up next and inspired the group with her passion for the idea that historic buildings must adapt if they are expected to survive in the contemporary world, where all buildings face the onslaught of heat, rising tides and reduced potable water. She championed the necessity of using collaboration to drive change required by these shifting environmental circumstances for historic structures and introduced the group to the brilliant concept of “Radical Reversibility.” Why shouldn’t an architect be able to propose installation of reversible elements such as visible “green” roofs or solar panels on the front of a historic building if that is what the current climate crisis dictates? She noted that the existing building stock around the world holds the key to navigating the environmental landscape, adding that “Building reuse is climate action.”
Brian Goeken of the National Park Service and Jim Lindberg of the National Trust shared what their organizations are focused on. Among many training and educational initiatives, Brian advised that the NPS is currently working with the Army Corps of Engineers to complete a study of the flood resistance of traditional building materials. In response to Jean’s earlier comment on Radical Reversibility, he also noted that resilience and environmental survival should drive greater tolerance of impact to historic resources, especially if the alternative is the total loss of that resource. Jim reported that the National Trust is actively expanding their grant program to include greater participation for cultural resources, such as African American churches, to broaden the scope of what is important to preserve.
Day two
The second day of the Colloquium was filled with valuable case studies for the group.
Mark Stoner, AIA of the National Trust shared the experiences of Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois, as the Trust works to protect the architectural jewel from damaged caused by recurrent flooding of the Fox River.
Andrew Smith, AIA and Josette Katcha, AIA of Hennebery Eddy presented their successful redesign for the 1914 Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem. Their project included extensive seismic strengthening of the building, as well as a complete interior historic rehabilitation.
Jonathan Wagar of the Duke Farms Foundation and Nan Gutterman, FAIA, FAPT of VITETTA showed us their work at the expansive historic property and environmental center in Hillsborough, NJ, where a combination of solar power, reconstruction of natural wetlands and other ecological strategies are being used to drive the center in phased steps toward being Carbon Negative by 2024.
The final case studies came from the AIA Guide to Building Reuse, published this month. This document focuses on climate action and the decarbonization of all existing buildings. Z Smith, FAIA of Eskew Dumez Ripple led the discussion of the key features of the Guide and presented his firm’s LWCC Headquarters Building in Baton Rouge, La. Helena Zambrano, AIA of Mahlum Architects, Inc. discussed her firm’s Custom Blocks renovation in Portland OR and Alexis Cecil, AIA of Quinn Evans shared The Packing House adaptive reuse project in Cambridge, MD.
A round table panel discussion of the synthesis of the take-aways of the case studies closed the Colloquium.
This year’s Colloquium was a great success. We were reminded that a sustainable world takes care of what already exists. We need to adapt the existing buildings to improve their performance. “We cannot build ourselves out of the climate crisis.” (Jean Carroon) Adapting existing buildings to the current climate is ultimately a justice issue and architects can make a difference. HRC is proud to offer this to our members each year as a way of bringing together architects to discuss valuable topics that are outside of our normal practice. Taking this moment to retreat and gather together for intellectual growth is what makes the profession of architecture special.
Key take-aways
- The renovation and transformation of existing buildings is a significant part of the business of architecture and offers a significant opportunity for architects to address climate change. By 2050, about 65% of the projected U.S. building stock (in floor area) will be buildings that were already standing in 2022.
- The existing building stock around the world holds the key to navigating the environmental landscape— “Building reuse is climate action.”
- Historic buildings—in fact ALL existing buildings—must adapt if they are expected to survive in today’s complex, contemporary world, where all buildings face the onslaught of heat, rising tides and reduced potable water.
- Collaboration among stakeholders is the key to drive change required by today’s shifting environmental circumstances for historic structures.
- The concept of “Radical Reversibility,” when applied to the existing building stock, may be the best way to allow historic buildings to contribute to the resilience and environmental survival of the planet and this participation should drive greater tolerance of impact to historic resources.