Tuesday, May 10, 2022
12:00–1:30 pm CST

Conserving Built Space through the Senses

Chat Transcript

Interest in architecture’s sensory dimension has resurged in recent years, assisted in part by cross-disciplinary insights from fields as diverse as behavioral science, disability studies, technical acoustics, and sensory studies. Recent explorations have unavoidably taken varied forms; the focus may be on the historic importance of individual senses in design; equally, work may be driven by advances in critical, affective, and post-human heritages that foreground non-ocular senses in defining the borders of historic places. Such innovative perspectives have led to a growing field of sensory inquiry in the built environment with a dispersed collection of investigatory methods. As a result, more avenues are widening for identifying undervalued forms of historic communication, everyday forms of place-making, and carriers of meaning in ancient and historical places that are not visibly accessible in physical remains—the implications for historic spaces are vast.

One of the most important challenges facing those who approach historic architecture through sensory experience is identifying practical relevance for conservation questions. How can a focus on the senses, particularly in a subject-oriented framing of a site, offer new paths in preservation, restoration, reconstruction, and interpretation of historic built environments? The roundtable will tackle this seldom addressed perspective, serving as both as an introduction to the topic in its current theoretical contours as well as offering a discussion on practical applications in heritage and archaeological investigations. The discussion will bring together researchers and practitioners that approach architectural heritage conservation through (multi)sensory approaches, who will share their approach via two key questions: "How were the senses relevant to the experience of the past?", and "How can the sensory experience of a space today reflect and interpret the realities of the past?" The overarching purpose is to explore the practical and theoretical extents of what conservation of sensory experience means in historic spaces.

Panelists: 

• Pamela Jordan, RA, University of Amsterdam, NL (moderator)

• Sara Mura, University of Amsterdam, NL (moderator)

• Dr. Emma-Jayne Graham, The Open University, UK

• Dr. Sabine von Fischer, Freelance Author

• Dr. Ryan Lash, University College Dublin, IE

• Dr. Anthony Brand, The University of Auckland, NZ

Thursday, May 12, 2022
12:00–1:30 pm CST

Our North is the South: Teaching and Learning from the South

“Our North is the South” is a group of architecture historians working from and about Latin America who have met in person and virtually since 2018. In these meetings we have discussed the challenges and opportunities of teaching the history of architecture from Latin America. The history of architecture in the region presents particular opportunities and challenges for a global, interconnected approach. From the first inhabitants of the Americas to the contemporary challenges of historicizing their architectural remains, we propose the architecture of Latin America has always been global, but historicizing its transnational character has been limited by nationalist ideologies, extended periods of political isolation, and lack of resources.

Tuesday, May 17, 2022
12:00–1:30 pm CST

Rebuilding Community in Architectural History

One might say that the COVID-19 pandemic has severed academic communities, in particular those that required travel and one-on-one contact, like our annual SAH conference. If severed seems too harsh, we might at least agree that the nature of academic networking and collaboration has changed significantly. More online meetings means greater accessibility and representation, but it also means that as individuals we remain isolated. The purpose of this roundtable is twofold: we want to hear from those who have built intellectual, labor, academic, political and social communities in our field—from the Architectural Lobby, Epidemic Urbanism, Aggregate, to SAH Affiliate Groups and Platform. At the same time, we would like to take advantage of the format of the roundtable to discuss with attendees and panelists how we can model inclusive communities and platforms for collaboration in the future. We firmly believe that thoughtful, empathic, and inclusive scholarship requires more than brilliant individuals. It needs debate, collaboration, critique, and support from others to flourish. This roundtable is meant to create a space to discuss exactly that, the agency of collectivity and collaboration in architectural history. We particularly welcome emergent professionals, graduate students, and individuals seeking to think, build, and debate with others.

Panelists: 

• Valentina Rozas-Krause, University of Michigan (moderator)

• Eliana Abu-Hamdie Murchie, MIT (moderator)

• Marianela D'Aprile, The New York Review of Architecture/Architecture Lobby

• Caitlin DeClercq, Columbia University/Epidemic Urbanism

• Mohammad Gharipour, Morgan State University/Epidemic Urbanism

• Harriet Harriss, Pratt Institute/Feminism and Arch

• Zeynep Kezer, Newcastle University, UK/Platform

• Matthew Lasner, Hunter College, CUNY/Platform

Wednesday, May 18, 2022
10:00–11:30 am CST

SAH David B. Brownlee Dissertation Award Roundtable

In conjunction with the SAH David B. Brownlee Dissertation Award Committee and the SAH Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC), this roundtable will include members of the GSAC, award winner Will Davis, and will be moderated by Jason Nguyen, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto. Davis won the award for his dissertation, "Palm Politics: Warfare, Folklore, Architecture." In recognition of Professor Brownlee's wide-ranging interests, the conversation will provide a forum to discuss Professor Brownlee's legacy, the context of the SAH dissertation award, and celebrate the award winner and their exceptional work. Attendees will gain insight into the background of the prize, the legacy of Prof. Brownlee, insight into current dissertation work from the award winner, and audience member's contributions to the discussion. Overall, the roundtable provides a place to discuss the changing nature of architecture history dissertations at this moment in time.

Thursday, May 19, 2022
12:00–1:30 pm CST

Urban Design at 65

Chat Transcript

Tuesday, May 24, 2022
12:00–1:30 pm CST

SAH Heritage Conservation Committee Preservation Roundtable

The SAH Heritage Conservation Committee will host a preservation roundtable to provide the membership with an opportunity to discuss recent preservation issues. The session will include a recap of the advocacy efforts of the committee over the last year, and will lead to an open conversation of recent preservation issues and controversies. Issues may include the preservation of modern and postmodern resources, the impacts of climate change upon historic resources, the challenge of underutilized and abandoned places of worship, and recent demolitions of historic high-rise buildings to allow for replacement by even taller buildings. The SAH Heritage Conservation Committee looks to build upon the success and high attendance of the roundtables held at SAH annual conference since 2018, and looks forward to this annual event.

Panelists:

• Bryan Clark Green, Chair, SAH Heritage Conservation Committee (moderator)

• James M. Buckley, University of Oregon, Portland

• Jeffrey Cody, Getty Conservation Institute

• Anthony Cohn, Anthony Cohn Architect, New York

• David N. Fixler, FAIA, LEED® AP, EYP/

• Priya Jain, Texas A&M University

• Theodore Prudon, FAIA, Prudon & Partners

• Deborah Slaton, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

Wednesday, May 25, 2022
11:00–12:30 pm CST

A Conversation with Sekler Talk Speaker Itohan Osayimwese

Chat Transcript

Antonio Pacheco, a member of the SAH Graduate Student Advisory Committee, will moderate a discussion with Brown University Professor Itohan Osayimwese about her 2022 Eduard F. Sekler Talk, "On Architecture and the Restitution of Cultural Heritage," delivered at the SAH 2022 Annual International Conference in Pittsburgh. Osayimwese is Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor of the History of Art and Architecture and Urban Studies at Brown University. Her research engages with theories of modernity, postcolonialism, and globalization to analyze built environments in nineteenth- and twentieth-century West Africa, the Anglo-Caribbean, and Germany. This seminar-style event will prioritize participation from graduate students and emerging scholars around topics including professional practice and methodology in addition to generating discussions of Professor Osayimwese’s research and recent Sekler Talk.