Association for Preservation Technology 2009 Conference to be Held in L.A.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE             

June 17, 2009

 

For further information contact:

Dana Saal, Conference Manager

217.528.2460 or dana@apti.org

 

Nathela Chatara, Administrative Director

217.529.9039 or info@apti.org

 

APT LA 2009 Conference Registration Open

 

The Association for Preservation Technology International (APT) is accepting registrations for its Annual Conference scheduled for November 2–6, 2009 in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Registration can be completed on-line at www.apti.org. Rates increase after September 7 and again after October 18.

 

Los Angeles represents the quintessential American city of the late 19th and 20th centuries. Technological and social changes allowed an interconnected, yet scattered, collection of towns and villages to grow (sprawl) into one of the world’s major metropolitan regions comprising five counties; more than 200 towns, cities, and municipalities; and more than 15 million residents. At the hub of this metropolitan agglomeration, Los Angeles invites rigorous debate between those seeing an urban utopia—complete with fast cars, movies stars, high-tech jobs, surf boards, fruit orchards, and mountain resorts—and those who envision a dystopian nightmare of race riots, air pollution, traffic jams, endless sprawl, and rapidly increasing density. Somewhere in the middle, for better or worse, lies the real Los Angeles, the model for the post-war 20th century American metropolis and (sometimes considered jaded) blueprint for the World City.

 

Now that we have moved into the 21st Century, both philosophical and pragmatic questions arise regarding the conservation and management of the World City…

• How do we wisely use and improve a now historic built environment that was conceived under a set of assumptions that are no longer sustainable?
• How do we evaluate decisions as to whether or not preserve materials that were not designed for permanence and, and, if so, how?
• What constitutes appropriate technology in a world where the pace of technology development is increasing and where technological tools that once took generations to change now evolve day-by-day?

 

The APT LA 2009 Conference in Los Angeles will address the scientific, engineering and technical ramifications of preserving the modern metropolis and its expansive body of historic resources through the four Conference tracks in the program.

 

Conference Highlights

Keynote Speaker

Tuesday, November 3

Preservation in an Age of Economic Challenge—More Necessary Than Ever

Kevin Starr, University Professor and Professor of History at the University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA, USA, will argue that the preservation of historic structures at a time of economic challenge, such as we are now experiencing, makes more than mere economic sense.

College of Fellows Lecture

Wednesday, November 4

“First Principles” in the Conservation of Asia’s Heritage: Lessons Learned from the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards Competition

Richard A. Engelhardt, UNESCO Charge de Mission, Senior Advisor to the UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, UNESCO Professor of Heritage Management, will discuss how we balance the preservation of the unique heritage significant of our built environment with the transformations required by modernization and sustainable development.

 

Paper Sessions

Wednesday, November 4 and Thursday, November 5

The peer-reviewed paper presentations will feature experts discussing their work in four tracks:

• Material Matters: Preservation of Historic Building Materials
• Preserving Modernism and Post War Heritage
• The Public Domain: Infrastructure of Urban and Suburban Landscapes
• LA Unconfidential: Lessons Learned in Preserving the World City

 

Workshops and Symposium

Monday, November 2–Tuesday, November 3

Workshops offer hands-on experience in

• Architectural Ceramics
• Advances in Seismic Retrofit
• Injection Grouts

The symposium—Capturing the Past for Future Use: Integrating Documentation with Repair, Design and Construction Practice in Historic Buildings—will establish the background context for recording of existing buildings, and introduce the state of the art in the documentation techniques, as they relate to the design and management of change to historic buildings.

 

Field Sessions

APT Field Sessions offer participants the opportunity to see unique aspects of the conference host region while gaining valuable insight into local preservation history. This year the choices are:

Wednesday, November 4

• Frank Lloyd Wright’s Textile Block Houses in Hollywood Hills
• Pasadena’s Arroyo Seco Landmarks
• Mid-Century Modern Houses by Rudolf Schindler and Richard Neutra
• Preserving Synergy of Natural and Modern Landscapes and Architecture
• An Afternoon at the Getty Conservation Institute

Friday, November 6

• Fernando Rey de España and Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
• The Desert Bloomed Modern—Palm Springs in the 20th Century

 

Tours

APT Tours offer participants a glimpse into LA just for fun:

Tuesday, November 3

• Fernando Rey de España and Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
• The Desert Bloomed Modern—Palm Springs in the 20th Century

 

Invitation

All industry professionals—preservationists, architects, engineers, conservators, consultants, contractors, craftspersons, curators, developers, educators, historians, landscape architects, students, technicians, scientists, and others—are invited to join APT in this culturally-rich city where you can learn about the latest in preservation technology from around the world. Registration can be completed on-line at www.apti.org.

 

Created in 1968 in Québec as a joint venture between preservationists in Canada and the United States, APT continues to be the premier international outlet for sharing technical preservation information. Headquartered in Springfield, Illinois, APT is a nonprofit organization in both the US and Canada, with regional chapters across the continent and in Australia.