Historic
Preservation Concentration
Studies in Historic
Preservation allow students to acquire skills in the
documentation, assessment, interpretation, and
restoration of historic buildings and sites.
Students apply these tools in formulating
intervention plans respectful of a building’s
salient historical features and its role as
transmitter of cultural and architectural meanings.
Through hands-on field work and interdisciplinary
studios, coursework encompasses historic building
technologies and structural systems, period styles
and building types, material properties and
processes of deterioration, research methodologies
and diagnostic criteria, as well as methods of
technical and graphic documentation.
The program underscores
the relationship between historic preservation and
sustainable design practices. As adaptations to
climate, site, and available materials, historic
buildings are often models of energy efficiency,
conservation of natural resources, and sustainable
construction. The reuse, restoration, and
retrofitting of historic structures and the
revitalization of existing neighborhoods constitute
''recycling'' on a grand scale and are crucial steps
in combating climate change and promoting
environmentally, economically, and socially
sustainable development. The curriculum highlights
techniques and methods of historic preservation as
applied to urban public spaces at multiple scales,
from streets and neighborhoods to citywide systems
and metropolitan districts. Students focus upon
vital preservation issues regarding spatial
typologies and density to develop frameworks that
order the urban fabric into viable communities and
facilitate “place-making” through incorporation of
historic structures as part of overall community
development.
A recommended Study Abroad semester in Rome places preservation of both historic and modernist architecture within a global context, complementing classroom instruction and field work at historic sites and in local and National Register historic districts in the Delaware Valley and archival research at various collections in the Philadelphia region. Also recommended are professional internships that further the student’s academic experience. The Historic Preservation concentration has been designed to meet the standards for undergraduate programs set by the National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE).
Due to the broad scope of
the field, graduates can pursue careers in the
public, non-profit, or private sectors, including
building conservation and restoration, historic
architecture, city and regional planning,
architectural history, preservation consulting,
cultural site management and heritage tourism,
economic development, and law and advocacy. This
highly rigorous concentration equips graduates for
entry level job opportunities and provides the basis
for graduate studies in Historic Preservation,
Material Conservation, Architecture, Architectural
History, Urban Design, Urban Planning and Public
Policy, and Museum Studies.
• Demonstrate knowledge of history and theory of historic and modern periods, styles and places and apply knowledge to archival research of preservation. br /> • Demonstrate expertise and professional level competency in technical and graphic methods used to document historic structures and places.
• Apply acquired knowledge base and skill sets to analyze and assess the condition of historic buildings, systems and materials, with special emphasis upon issues of sustainability, adaptive reuse, and regeneration of historic neighborhoods and places.
• Demonstrate knowledge of law, advocacy, public policy issues, and the ecological impact of preservation.
• Possess knowledge and experience of the Historic Preservation practice on multiple scales (from micro to macro) and in myriad contexts from local to international.
Required core courses: (23 Credits)
EDVS-2xx Preservation Technology 2
EDVS-302 Archival Research for Historic Preservation
EDVS-3xx Architectural Forensics
EDVS-4xx Theories of Preservation Seminar
EDVS-4xx Cultural Site Management
EDVS-4xx Capstone Studio 1: Macro—Preservation Planning and Urban Revitalization
EDVS-4xx Capstone Studio 2: Micro—Restoration and Adaptive Reuse
Recommended free electives: (12 credits)
UARC-3xx Historic Preservation Seminar, Rome
UARC-3xx History and Theory of Urban Forms, Rome
EDVS-300 Exhibition Design and Planning
LARCH-507 Cultural and Landscape Preservation
INTRN-493 Internship
·