This course provides an overview of the field of architectural conservation. The study of historic building materials and the technical means used to document, diagnose, analyze and design interventions to preserve these materials. It is, in the most basic sense, the technical means by which to accomplish preservation and plays a central role in defining the field. It involves the examination and treatment of historic cultural resources utilizing an established system of principles and procedures based on a foundation of preservation theory and methodology.
Preservation Technology focuses on the properties and performance of historic building materials, and the basic methods that can be employed for their study and characterization. Through lectures, in class demonstrations and local and non-local field sessions, students are exposed to the nature, composition and deterioration mechanisms of a wide range of building materials including stone, brick, mortars and plasters, concrete, paint and wood.