All, just to be clear: this does not constitute "historic preservation" in Minneapolis, either, despite what the marketing materials might suggest. The property is not locally landmarked (and to my knowledge does not have any other historic designation). To be fair, the property would not likely be eligible for historic designation, but if it had come before the heritage preservation commission a design like this would have been a very tough sell.
In reality, though, remuckings involving older building stock are quite common in Minneapolis (and elsewhere) regardless of historic designation. Every property owner is looking to add some sort of value to their properties (real or perceived) and the market is ripe for designers, architects, and contractors attempting to sell their skills with "historic fabric" even when they have never even heard of the SOI Standards. I'm not saying SALA falls into this category, as I'm not overly familiar with their portfolio and this really seems to be a "green" project, but I could walk down my residential street and take a dozen photos of design details meant to capture "historic beauty" that would make your heads spin.
Thankfully, there are several architects and contractors in the metro who take their work with our local landmarks to heart. And, although our HPC members don't always agree with each other when it comes down to the design details of a true rehabilitation, we do our best to follow the SOI Standards or our local design guidelines whenever possible.
Best,
Barbara Howard
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Barbara Howard Assoc. AIA
Minneapolis MN
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-31-2019 20:02
From: Norman Alston
Subject: AIA and Historic Preservation Best Practices
How do members of the HRC feel about the following post that I found in my Linkedin feed this morning?
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) on LinkedIn: "SALA Architects is known for its uniquely designed and energy-efficient structures. Read how the company utilized siding to achieve net-zero energy consumption while preserving the historic beauty of a Minneapolis home: http://bit.ly/2HsrgEy #partnercontent "Linkedin | remove preview |
| The American Institute of Architects (AIA) on LinkedIn: "SALA Architects is known for its uniquely designed and energy-efficient structures. Read how the company utilized siding to achieve net-zero energy consumption while preserving the historic beauty of a Minneapolis home: http://bit.ly/2HsrgEy #partnercontent " | March 31, 2019: The American Institute of Architects (AIA) posted an article on LinkedIn | View this on Linkedin > |
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In Texas, this is not historic preservation. While it makes no direct claims that equate the substitute siding materials to proper preservation practice, I find it highly suggestive of just that, and think it would likely be very misleading to practitioners who are not familiar with the provisions of the Secretary of the Interiors Standards. We've seen this for decades from the window replacement folks. I looked for a note that it was a sponsored post. It is not. However, the link clearly identifies "partnercontent", which I take to be just one small step removed from a sponsored post.
Were it posted by LP, I wouldn't think anything of it. The fact that our professional organization posted it is an entirely different matter and gives it credibility that I think it does not deserve.
The perspectives of others in the HRC is welcomed.
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Norman Alston, FAIA
Principal
Norman Alston Architects
Dallas, Texas
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