PHILOSOPY
How We Plan Each Project
We determine the appropriate treatment for a historic property BEFORE work begins, at project initiation. Generally, the least amount of change to the building's historic design and the original architectural fabric is the preferred approach.
Original drawings, photographs, and other archival documents are used to determine the original appearance of missing features to be replicated within restoration zones.
Our design goals include updating building systems appropriately which requires striking a balance between retaining original building features and accommodating new technologies and equipment. Updates often require creativity in order to respect the original design and materials while meeting applicable codes and occupant needs.
We may repair or alter a structure, making possible an efficient contemporary use, while preserving those portions and features of the property that are significant to the structure’s historic, architectural, and cultural values.
Systems are upgraded to meet modern building requirements and codes. This not only makes good economic sense but preserves our legacy and is an inherently sustainable practice and an intrinsic component of whole building design.
Our Guiding Principles
Preservation - focuses on the maintenance stabilization and repair of existing historic materials and retention of a property's form as it has evolved over time.
Rehabilitation - acknowledges the need to alter or add to a historic property to meet continuing or changing uses while retaining the property's historic character.
Restoration - depicts a property at a particular period of time in its history, while removing the evidence of other periods.
Reconstruction - re-creates vanished or non-surviving portions of a property for interpretive purposes.