December 2011

symposium: wood in the 21st century–design and preservation of contemporary + historic architecture

WOOD IN THE 21st CENTURY: Design and Preservation of
Contemporary & Historic Architecture

When: Saturday, March 24 – Sunday, March 25, 2012

Organized by
• Technology & Conservation
• MIT Department of Architecture’s Building Technology Program
• Boston Society of Architects/AIA’s Historic Resources Committee

This important symposium will be held on the MIT campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Speakers include over 30 noted architects, engineers, conservators, and researchers. Continuing education credits will be available –16 HSW/SD units for the March 24-25 program and 6 additional HSW/SD units for the optional March 26 program (offered at no additional charge to conference attendees). Registration fee before Jan. 30, 2012 is $450 per person; after Jan. 30 the fee is $525 per person. (Registration fee includes the conference program, two luncheons, and a reception.) Below are details on the topics to be covered, the speakers, a call for posters, hotel information, and the conference registration form.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:
SATURDAY, March 24, 2012
7:30-8:15 am Check-in
8:15-8:25 Welcome, Susan E. Schur, Hon. AIA, FAPT, Publisher-Editor, Technology & Conservation, and Prof. John Ochsendorf, MIT Department of Architecture
8:25-9:15 Perspectives – Historical-Styles, etc., Giles Downes, RIBA, Partner, Sidell Gibson Architects; Sr. Warden, Carpenters’ Company; and Governor, The Building Crafts College
9:15-10:00 Perspectives – Conservation/Restoration/Repair, Dr. David T. Yeomans, ACS Consulting Structural Engineers; and a past Chair, ICOMOS UK Wood Committee
10:00-10:15 Lessons Learned from Historic Construction, Matthew B. Bronski, PE, Senior Project Manager, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc.
10:15-10:30 Coffee Break + Posters
Developments in Technology & Materials – Properties, Structure, & Attachment
10:30-11:00 Uses of Wood in the 21st Century: Understanding Sustainable Wood Products from the Forest to the Finished Product, Dr. Scott Bowe, Professor & Wood Products Specialist, Russell Labs, University of Wisconsin – Madison
11:00-11:25 Mechanical & Structural Properties – including Fire and Life Safety, Dr. Ben Brungraber, PE, President, Fire Tower Engineered Timber, Inc.
11:25-11:50 Water, Wood, and Walls: Addressing the Envelope, Dr. Samuel V. Glass, Research Physical Scientist, Building Moisture & Durability, USDA Forest Products Laboratory
11:50-12:20 Biodegradation and Treatment, Dr. Brian R. Ridout, Entomologist & Senior Architectural Conservator, English Heritage
12:20-12:30 Q&A
12:30-2:10 Luncheon – MIT Faculty Club
Investigative Tools
2:10-2:25 Resistance Drilling, IR, and Ultrasonic, John Wathne, PE, President, Structures-North
2:25-2:40 Microscopic ID, Philip L. Westover, PE, Staff Consultant, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc.
2:40-2:55 Dendrochronology, Dr. Daniel Miles, FSA, Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory
2:55-3:10 Performance of Light-Frame Buildings in Extreme Events: Wind and Seismic, Prof. John W. van de Lindt, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, The University of Alabama
3:10-3:25 Coffee Break + Posters
Conservation/Preservation of Buildings/Building Types Constructed from Early Times Up Through the 20th Century
3:25-3:55 Athletic Facilities, Paul Fast, PE, PIStructE, PEng, Struct.Eng., Managing Partner, Fast + Epp
3:55-4:15 Military & Cultural Buildings: Designing on the Edge, Ronald W. Anthony, President and Wood Scientist, Anthony & Associates, Inc.
4:15-4:30 Wood in Traditional Japanese Architecture, Prof. Alice Y. Tseng, Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Department of History of Art & Architecture, Boston University
4:30-4:45 Gamble House, Kelly Sutherlin McLeod, Kelly Sutherlin McLeod Architecture, Inc.
4:45-5:00 Providing Information on Vernacular Wood Structures, Ronald W. Anthony, President and Wood Scientist, Anthony & Associates, Inc.
5:00-5:15 The Wooden Tomb Chamber in Tumulus MM at Gordion in Turkey, Prof. Richard F. Liebhart, Archeologist
5:15-5:20 On Wood Architectural Fragments, William C.S. Remsen, RA, Chief Preservation Architect, International Preservation Associates, Inc.
5:20-5:35 Historic Wooden Religious Structures, Nat Crosby, Bruner/Cott & Associates
5:35-6:05 Two Viewpoints – Building Framer and Sawyer, Jan Lewandoski, Principal, Restoration and Traditional Building; Dean Copeland, Copeland and Sons Lumber Co.
6:05-6:20 Covered Wood Bridges, Arnold M. Graton Jr., JR Graton Historic Restoration LLC
6:20-6:30 Q&A
6:30-8:00 Reception – The Cambridge Marriott Hotel

SUNDAY. March 25, 2012
7:30-8:00 am Relevant Film
New Technologies, New Methods of Retaining/Achieving Architectural Concepts
8:00-8:30 am Philosophical/Aesthetic Aspects (including wood in combination with other materials), David N.Fixler, FAIA, LEED AP, Principal, Design and Preservation, EYP Architecture & Engineering Inc.
8:30-9:15 Developments – Computer Modeling, Wood-Concrete Composites, Dr. Peggi Clouston, Assoc. Professor, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Dept. of Environmental Conservation
9:15-10:00 Energy and Sustainability Aspects of Wood (including certification), Jack Mackin, Chief Operating Officer, F.D. Sterritt Lumber Co.
10:00-10:10 Q&A
10:10-10:25 Coffee Break + Posters
10:25-10:55 Finishes and Coatings – Factory and On Site, Jon Graystone, Principal Research Scientist, Paint Research Association
Bringing Wood into 21st Century Architectural Design & Ornamentation
10:55-11:50 Arches, Grids, and Shells for 21st Century Architecture, Michael Dickson, FREng, FIStructE, Founding Partner/Senior Consultant, Buro Happold; and Visiting Professor, Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering, University of Bath, UK
11:50-12:05 Q&A
12:05-2:00 Luncheon – MIT Faculty Club
2:00-2:30 Improved Wood Composites, Prof. Stephen Shaler, Associate Director, Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center, and Program Coordinator, Wood Science & Technology, University of Maine
2:30-2:50 Religious Buildings including Bigelow Chapel (MN) and Lakewood Garden Mausoleum, Joan Soranno, FAIA, Design Principal/Vice-President, HGA
2:50-3:35 Cross Laminated Timber and Other Engineered Wood Structures, Simon Smith, Director, Ramboll UK; Design Teaching Fellow, Cambridge University; and Director, TRADA UK
3:35-3:50 Coffee Break + Posters
3:50-4:15 Cultural Facility, Shane Burger, Associate/Head of Design Technology USA, Grimshaw Architects PC
4:15-4:50 Implications of Recent Research, Cheryl Ciecko, AIA, ALA, LEED AP, Senior Technical Director, WoodWorks
4:50-5:10 How will New Materials and New Manufacturing Techniques Affect/Impact Design and Conservation Work, John A. Fidler, RIBA, Staff Consultant & Practice Leader, Preservation Technology, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc.
5:10-5:30 Q&A

MONDAY, March 26, 2012– Optional program
8:00am-3:00pm
Focus on maritime use of wood and introducing new systems into existing historic building. Individuals registering for the conference will be able to attend, at no additional cost, the optional program.

HOTEL: For those who require a hotel room, a block of rooms (single and double) have been reserved at the Cambridge Marriott Hotel at the special rate of $159 (plus tax) per night – group booking code for website bookings is: tnctnca. The direct link is: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/boscb?groupCode=tnctnca&app=resvlink&fromDate=3/23/12&toDate=3/27/12. For booking through Central Reservations at 1-888-236-2427, the booking code is TNCC.

CALL FOR POSTERS: Poster presentations on a project or research involving wood performance, detailing, specification, use, care, or repair as well as innovative wood structural design are welcomed. A poster presentation is one 30” x 40” board or two 20” x 30” boards showing project and/or research information relevant to the conference subject matter – exteriors of contemporary and/or historic/traditional wood buildings, buildings incorporating wood as a major element of their design, and other wood structures such as covered bridges and grave markers. An area will be set aside during the conference for the display of posters and discussion. Poster proposals should be submitted, by e-mail, by January 30, 2012 to: ses_tec_con@msn.com.

Contact Information:

A PDF with complete details on the conference including the schedule, call for posters, hotel accommodations, continuing education credits (16 HSW/SD CE credits for the March 24-25 conference and 6 additional HSW/SD CE credits for the optional March 26 program), and registration form, can be downloaded at: http://www.architects.org/committees/historic-resources-committee and then clicking “events.” This conference information also is shown below.

If you have any questions on this conference, please contact Susan E. Schur, Hon. AIA, FAPT, Conference Organizer/Chair, tel: 1-617-623-4488; e-mail: ses_tec_con@msn.com.
————————————————————————————————————-

event: modern living program

EMU Preservation Research Techniques Presentations

Homeowners and a2modern members are invited to attend presentations about a selection of modern homes designed by significant architects that worked in Ann Arbor neighborhoods – Alden Dow, David Osler, James Livingston, Thomas Tanner, Robert Pond and Tivadar Balogh.

Students in the Eastern Michigan University Historic Preservation Research Techniques course GHPR 602 taught by Dr. Ted Ligibel will present their findings December 8th and 15th.  The students have used Public Records and information from the Bentley Historical Library to understand how the property and structures have developed overtime. The research also includes general information about the owners who built or who have subsequently purchased these architectural gems.

The presentations will be in the Whiting room, Bentley Historical Library.

Date:  December 8th and 15th 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

This event is co-sponsored by a2modern and the Eastern Michigan University Historic Preservation Program.

 

Image citation:  Santa’s Icicle House, Tivadar Balogh Papers, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.  For more information on Bentley Library resources call 734-764-3482 or email bentley.ref@umich.edu.