[MassHistPres] Raising historic structures

[Russ Feldman]

This is a genuine dilemma and one that the recent insurance vote only postpones.
It will take some time to develop a vocabulary of physical solutions to this issue and conferences are a great way to help advance this thinking.
As a designer, I'd seek ways of either mitigating the impact of raising the building in its relation to the site, or making a clear distinction that sympathetically identifies the change.  If the building is to be raised 3 feet, then an example of the first approach might be to raise the site around the building by the same amount to maintain the relationship of structure to ground level, possibly banking the grade away from the building to a low retaining wall placed at a distance from the building.  An example of the second approach would be to detail the new foundation in a way that avoids having the raised foundation and lengthened approach stairs appear as if things were always that way, possibly with a watertable or recess of stone or brick detailing that, in effect, tells the story of having lifted the building up.
One way or the other, I encourage you to promulgate the Secretary's principles to the property owner and - recognizing that this is a very new situation without obvious answers - demand design excellence in whatever solution is proposed.  Just because this is being driven by changing circumstances, there's no need to roll over and say "it can't be helped."


M. Russel Feldman, AIA, NCARB
TBA Architects, Inc.
43 Bradford Street Suite 300
Concord MA USA 01742
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(781) 893-5834 fax   (781) 609-3010 direct fax to email
www.tbaarchitects.com<http://www.tbaarchitects.com/>

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