The mission of the AIA Historic Resources Committee (HRC) is to identify, understand, and preserve architectural heritage, both nationally and internationally. HRC is engaged in promoting the role of the historic architect within the profession through the development of information and knowledge among members, allied professional organizations, and the public.
Join the AIA Historic Resources Committee by updating your AIA member profile.
Contact | Advisory Group| National Subcommittees| State and Local Components | Related Links
Highlights
Preservation Architect
The AIA Historic Resources Committee official quarterly electronic newsletter. Interested in contributing? See the Tips for Authors. Read the Letter from the 2009 Chair.
Traditional Building Exhibition and Conference
October 22-24, 2009 | Baltimore, MD
Be sure to join the AIA/HRC for the Conditions Assessment and Historic Structures Report (HSR) Pre-conference Workshop on Wednesday.
Capturing the Past for Future Use: Integrating Documentation with Repair, Design and Construction Practice in Historic Buildings Symposium
November 2–3, 2009 | Los Angeles
The Symposium will examine the ethical, technical, logistical and economic reasons for improved efficiency and effectiveness in the metric survey and documentation of existing buildings, and in the uses to which such documentation are put. There is an increasingly wide range of technical responses available in the field that calls for guidance on the appropriate choices and use of technology. Presentations will examine the policy-drivers for change in architectural and engineering practice which link to choices in survey and documentation. Attendees will have the privilege of attending the APT LA 2009 Conference that follows the symposium at APT member rates. The symposium registration fee includes meals and the APT Workshop dinner on Monday 2 November, at which the National Park Service, AIA HRC and the Library of Congress will award the 2009 Charles E. Peterson Prizes to student teams whose work will be included in the Historic American Buildings Survey.
Charles E. Peterson Prize Program
The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) of the National Park Service, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia and The American Institute of Architects (AIA) annual coordinate the Charles E. Peterson Prize, which annually recognizes the best set of measured drawings prepared to HABS standards and donated to HABS by students. The 2009 winners will be recognized in a ceremony held in Los Angeles on November 2, 2009.
Allied Programs and Events
The AIA HRC regularly updates lists of allied organization events and allied organization award, grant and fellowship programs.
Resources
Book List
The AIA HRC has compiled a reading list based on the recommendations of members around the country. We hope to continuously expand the list with additional titles. If you know of a book that should be on the list, we encourage you to send your recommendation to Raymond Plumey, FAIA.
AIA HRC Guide to Historic Preservation
This primer to preservation of historic properties covers accepted definitions in the field, how such properties are identified and treated, the architectural services provided in preservation projects, the phases of a project, the professionals needed on a preservation team, costs and benefits, and how to select a preservation architect.
Danish Modern Then and Now
This conference was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in September 2008, jointly sponsored by the AIA Committee on Design and the AIA Historic Resources Committee. Learn more on the AIA Committee on Design home page.
Architecture Knowledge Review Podcast Series – Practice
Architecture Knowledge Review is a podcast series for design professionals, featuring interviews, discussions, and best practices by architects and other design professionals who are at the forefront of the profession. Visit this page often for more information on specific topics and presentations. Podcasts are available for download as XML, iTunes, and MP3 files.
Featured Podcasts
The Changing Face of the Architecture Profession
Wendy Ornelas talks about addressing the changing face of the architecture profession, and distinguishes the differences between the baby boomer generation of architects and the emerging X_Y generation that will lead to this changing direction in the profession, with Michael Crosbie.
A Global History of Architecture
Listen in on a fascinating discussion with professor and author Francis D.K. Ching about his latest book, A Global History of Architecture—a work lauded as "unabashedly huge" in proportion and refreshingly unique in perspective. The work spans the globe from 3500 BCE to the present day, discussing certain styles and historical periods but dwelling primarily on specific architectural works.
The Transitional Small Practice
Firms of 1 or 2 practitioners that aim to grow into 6 to 10 person firms lack the resources to buy their way through today's most tenacious management issues. In this podcast, Daniel Garber, AIA, tells how a transitional small firm can use alternative strategies to address critical issues: sustaining client happiness, managing workflow, transitioning to BIM, and developing market competitiveness.
Article: Architects in Historic Preservation: The Formal Role of the AIA, 1890-1990
Renowned Architectural Historian Spiro Kostof Lectures Available Online from the University of California, Berkeley
Spiro Kostof (1936-1991), widely recognized as one of the world's leading architectural historians, taught his last course in the Spring of 1991 in the Architecture Department of UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design. The 26 lectures of his course "A Historical Survey of Architecture and Urbanism" covering the period from the Florentine Renaissance to the post-modernism of the late 20th century were video recorded and have recently been digitized and made available for public viewing. Kostof's lectures were heralded for situating the architectural monument in a framework of vernacular buildings that imbue it with meaning.