Silman, Principal & Director of Preservation
Edmund P. Meade has managed many large structural preservation projects ranging from the restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum to the evaluation of the Bennington Monument.
Mr. Meade has worked on projects focusing on the preservation, stabilization, and/ or reuse of existing buildings. These projects include numerous national historic landmarks ranging from the preservation of a five-hundred-year-old stone church in Puerto Rico to the restoration of a Renaissance palace and church complex in Tbilisi, in the Republic of Georgia. He is an advocate for the respect of historic materials, use of appropriate modern building techniques and materials, and of a collaborative team approach to surveying, analyzing, designing repairs, and implementing repairs. His work has included use of advanced nondestructive evaluation techniques, sustainable design, and leading-edge analysis, monitoring, and measuring techniques.
Mr. Meade is a Principal and Director of Preservation at Silman; he has worked there since 1989. He is an Adjunct Faculty member in the Civil Engineering Department at Johns Hopkins University, where he has helped to create one of the first graduate-level programs in preservation engineering.
He has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and a Master of Architectural History and Certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of Virginia. He is a member of the Advisory Council of the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer. He was inducted as a Fellow of the Association for Preservation Technology International in 2012. He is the first recipient of the APT Affiliate Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome (completed in 2022).
Presentation
Preservation Engineering & the Education of Preservation Engineers
Over the past thirty years, the education of Preservation Engineers has developed from an ad hoc process to a more developed system of coursework, training, and standards. Nonetheless, there’s still not a consistently practiced or recognized process for an engineer to learn and confirm the application of such knowledge.
This presentation will begin with a look at early and periodic efforts for engineering students and practitioners to learn about the restoration, preservation, and/or renovation of buildings - with a specific emphasis on the structural engineering aspects of such professional development. A definition of what’s meant to be a “Preservation Engineer” will be offered for critical consideration. An underlying thread of the discussion will consider why practical knowledge of buildings is still critical to the engineer’s practice, to collaboration with skilled craftspeople, and to successfully saving historic structures.
Until recently, on-the-job training with existing buildings was the sole education of engineers in how to evaluate, analyze, and design modifications or repairs to such structures - that is, professional practice was largely “learning by doing”.
In the last decade or so, several education programs in the US and Europe have attempted to create a more systematic approach to learning the theoretical and applied basics of preservation engineering—with varying degrees of success. What are the results of these efforts?
The author will talk specifically about his experience as an instructor in the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins in teaching graduate-level engineering courses at the university. He’ll also draw from examples of Preservation Engineering from his own work.
Different aspects of the education and training of a Preservation Engineer will be considered, including: A) What basic skills are needed to begin professional practice?; B) What can only be learned by working on a project site with a skilled contractor completing the work?; C) What role does expertise in “modern” (e.g., structural steel, reinforced concrete, and the like) building materials play in the making of a proficient Preservation Engineer?; and D) How does one identify a credentialed, experienced Preservation Engineer?
The presentation will identify ways to encourage education and certification of such training within the discipline of Preservation Engineering. The long-term protection and rehabilitation of buildings requires the development of a more thoughtful approach.