The technical knowledge required to access, investigate, and
design the repairs of a building facade is the intellectually
stimulating part of architecture. The walls and roofs are where
architecture and structural engineering blend. It is where
conversations with the contractors and artisans are necessary in the
design process to develop the logical, correct, and cost effective
approach to diagnose and heal a building. The art of building
pathology requires the ability to understand a building’s physical
behavior in order to design and implement the restoration program.
This art is developed through experience at the buildings and in
dialogue with experts and peers in the field.
I am fascinated in particular by the various techniques of
masonry construction. The majority of buildings in the United States
are young by European standards and are primarily less than 200
years old. The buildings that I have restored in Chicago were all
constructed after 1880. These buildings benefited from the
advancement of construction technology involving steel or concrete
frame structures, which in turn allowed complex geometries within
the churches, and advanced the height of the high rises. The
restoration challenge is to understand the original construction
techniques, and design the repairs that anticipate future behaviors
of the building.
The Richard Morris Hunt Fellowship provides the unique
opportunity to extensively study varied approaches to historic
preservation. I propose to visit building professionals connected to
any area of exterior wall and roof restoration. Ideally this would
involve office and site visits to understand how projects were first
approached, analyzed, and designed for restoration.
The specialized area of building restoration thrives on shared
knowledge. The community of architects interested in the technical
details of building restoration is a unique group of people. How is
a building constructed, how is it behaving, why is it leaking,
cracking, or falling apart - and how can this be improved are
constant questions. Chicago’s masonry clad buildings are challenged
by the corrosion of internal steel elements. French architecture of
a similar age may have steel in buildings, but the original and
restoration construction details may vary due to the extensive
history of masonry throughout the country. The diagnosis of each
building depends upon the methodology of analysis. The restoration
of any masonry structure, bridge, or building is interesting due to
the myriad of variables attached to its construction and
rehabilitation intents.
