The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) chapter at Washington State University will proudly host the Spring 2012 West Quad Regional Conference in Spokane at the end of March 2012. The conference will take place March 29th – April 1st on the WSU Spokane campus under the theme of “Preserving Identities,” welcoming in attendees from across the Western United States. More images and information on the event after the break.
“Preserving Identities” will establish a dialogue on key topics that include historic preservation, adaptive re-use, and the preservation of local culture and context. The conference will educate attendees on the architectural, municipal, and construction issues involving preservation and will use Spokane as a backdrop to engage attendees with the topics at hand. The event will consist of 3 keynote presentations, numerous seminars and lectures, tours of local sites such as Steam Plant Square, and a panel discussion between the presenters and the attendees. In addition to social events and networking opportunities, there will also be a Beaux Arts Ball dance on the evening of Saturday, March 31st.
The themes of the keynote presentations will build upon one another, beginning with “Preserving the Past,” followed by “Preserving the Present,” and finally, “Preserving for the Future.”
Jim McDonald, AIA, who worked on the restoration of the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park, will speak about “Preserving the Past” on the opening night of March 29th. Mr. McDonald has extensive experience in the field of historic preservation in hundreds of sites and buildings as the lead Preservation Architect. Much of Mr. McDonald’s work involves the renovation and adaptive reuse of historic buildings, which includes providing space for contemporary needs, bringing buildings up to code, providing new environmental systems, sustainability, and developing standards for the preservation of these buildings in order to retain their historic architectural character.
Mr. McDonald was the principal preservation architect for the restoration and renovation of the 1902/1910 Montana State Capitol in Helena, Montana. The $26 million project involved restoration of the historic features and fabric removed from the building in the 1960’s. This included reinstalling the original barrel vault with stained glass, decorative artwork, decorative plasterwork, windows, doors, woodwork and marble, historic light fixtures and stabilization of the exterior stonework.
Curtis Fentress, FAIA, RIBA of Fentress Architects will speak about “Preserving the Present” on evening of March 30th. In 2010, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) honored Fentress with the highest award for public architecture, the Thomas Jefferson Award. Fentress is internationally recognized for his design portfolio, which includes $26 billion of architectural landmarks worldwide visited by over 300 million people each year. Known for his “Patient Search,” Fentress employs a unique process of design which involves an intense exploration of culture, people, location, and place to create treasured, iconic, and timeless architecture. This sensitive incorporation of culture and landscape are at the core of Fentress’ design process which preserves and embodies the culture and context of a place in architecture.
Kevin Daniels, a Seattle-based developer will speak about the role of preservation in sustainability and “Preserving for the Future” on March 31st. Mr. Daniels has over 30 years of real estate experience, including leasing, development and property management, and is the President of Nitze-Stagen &Co., Inc. and Daniels Development Co. LLC. Nitze-Stagen focuses on the investment into and Daniels Development the redevelopment of, landmarked structures and community redevelopment projects in Seattle, Washington.
Mr. Daniels is recognized as a leading voice for historic preservation in his community and is nationally recognized on the issue of stimulating economic development through preservation efforts. Over the last few years his development team has received two National Preservation Awards and numerous local & state awards for their work. Recently he was named as the first recipient of the Urban Hero award from International Sustainability Institute. Finally, Mr. Daniels has assisted the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the creation of the National Preservation Green Lab, which is based in Seattle.
There will be seminars and lectures throughout the conference speaking on different issues about preservation and adaptive re-use. There will also be tours of local preservation and adaptive re-use sites that include:
The Davenport Hotel, which was originally built in the 1910’s and restored as part of a downtown revitalization in the early 2000’s.
Steam Plant Square, which is an old steam power plant in the heart of Downtown Spokane. It was adaptively re-used into retail and office space.
SIERR Building at McKinstry Station, which is a 100+ year old facility used to repair electric trains. It was recently adaptively re-used into a corporate office along the banks of the Spokane River.
The Fox Theater, which is the only remaining large art-deco theater north of San Francisco. Located in the Davenport Arts District, it was built in 1931 and saved from demolition in the early 2000’s. A complete restoration was done and the facility re-opened in 2007 and is the home of the Spokane Symphony.
To register and for more information, please visit here.
