World Heritage USA Conference and Symposium 2024
21-22 November 2024 in Washington, DC
Climate Change Impacts and Mitigation at U.S. World Heritage Sites
The ICOMOS-USA Emerging Professionals Committee has arranged an Optional Workshop for Emerging Professionals and interested Symposium attendees on the afternoon of Day 2 (Friday, November 22) of the Symposium and Conference.
Roadmap to Resilience: Disaster-Proofing Heritage 1-4 pm
Workshop Leaders: Angela Lombardi, Sandeep Langar, and Saadet Toker Beeson of the University of Texas at San Antonio
Resilience has become essential to building performance, particularly to historic structures and sites, as they relate to heritage and cultural identity. This workshop addresses: 1) Heritage resilience and its importance; 2) How historically significant buildings and sites can become resilient; 3) Generating community resilience through historic buildings and sites; and 4) Preserving buildings to ensure the continuity of associated traditions.
An interdisciplinary team of architects, engineers, preservationists from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and community leaders developed various data collection, interpretation, and assessment methods – taking into consideration physical, social, and other factors. The perspectives of each discipline were all incorporated into creating holistic, comprehensive ways of assessing vulnerability and resilience data. This disaster workshop will provide emerging professionals in heritage conservation with the skills and insights to protect culturally and historically significant sites and communities from natural disasters.
Designed for hands-on learning and collaboration, we will demonstrate: 1) Tools for quantifying the resilience of historic structures and sites toward natural disasters, in particular hydrological disasters, the most impactful in the US; 2) Interpreting data and generating methods for enhancing resilience in historic structures and sites; 3) Generating a roadmap for resilient buildings and sites. Both assessments and enhancement measures consider physical factors (condition, structural soundness, and historical architectural significance) as well as social factors (human resources and existing disaster plans). Attendees will also learn how to seek input.
Findings gathered from case studies from vulnerable sites in Texas and the US will support our demonstration of analytical techniques and methods. Case studies will range from highly resilient structures to vulnerable ones that would be devasted by another disaster. The findings could inform any project to improve resilience in local communities or preserve historic structures and sites. The workshop will also share how the assessment tools and methods were developed. Tools assess physical building assemblies, organizational practices, infrastructure, and the surrounding environment holistically. Detailed breakdowns of findings from the tools will inform building managers about aspects within and beyond their control (technical, political and social), to improve the environment and/or infrastructure.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Participants will develop a better understanding of the importance of heritage resilience; 2. Participants will evaluate methods for making historically significant buildings and sites more resilient to natural disasters; 3. Speakers will address the role of historic buildings and sites in generating broader resilience at community scale 4. The workshop will uncover how preserving buildings and sites can ensure the continuity of associated traditions.
YOU MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND. The registration deadline is 14 November!