26th Annual Preservation Symposium
Future-Proof: Evolving Heritage Conservation
Date: February 21-22, 2025
Location: ARCB 101, Geren Auditorium
Rationale
The 26th Annual Historic Preservation Symposium, “Future-Proof: Evolving Heritage Conservation,” is not just a gathering, but a call to action. It presents a timely and forward-thinking dialogue on the pressing challenges and opportunities within the field of heritage conservation. As we navigate a rapidly changing world marked by environmental shifts, evolving societal demands, and emerging technologies, the need for resilient, adaptable, and sustainable conservation practices has never been more critical.
This symposium will address the future of heritage conservation by exploring interdisciplinary approaches that respond to both traditional and contemporary issues. The keynote and guest speaker presentations, featuring renowned experts in the field, will underscore the importance of resilience in heritage, highlighting how cultural assets must evolve to withstand climate change, socio-political transformations, and shifting community dynamics. Topics such as adaptive reuse are central to the discussion. Presentations will offer innovative perspectives on how architects, designers, and preservationists collaborate to reimagine existing buildings and spaces to meet modern sustainability goals while retaining their historical and cultural significance.
The symposium will emphasize the role of education and community engagement in preserving heritage. By fostering a deeper understanding of the values associated with modern design and heritage conservation, professionals and educators can better equip communities to advocate for preserving their cultural heritage. In this context, resilience is not merely about physical durability but about creating lasting relevance within a changing society.
The symposium will not only feature regional and national perspectives on heritage conservation but also international ones. As heritage transcends borders, so do the symposium offerings by connecting the USA to Europe and beyond, exchanging ideas on how different cultures approach the challenges of preserving their past in the face of modernization and societal transformation. The recurring focus on reuse, relevance, and resilience provides a comprehensive framework to consider how heritage conservation can adapt to future demands without losing its essence, no matter where in the world it is practiced.
The symposium will bring together experts from diverse fields, including you, to illuminate pathways to “future-proof” heritage conservation. Your participation is crucial in ensuring heritage conservation remains relevant, dynamic, and valuable to future generations.
Registration
There are four categories for participants to choose from when registering:
Professional $150.00 – AIA CEU’s/LU’s available
Faculty $25.00 – AIA CEU’s/LU’s available
Student $15.00
General Public $25.00
Registrations for the 26th Historic Preservation symposium will open soon. If you have any questions, please contact the Center Director, Dr. Fabrizio Aimar (fabrizio.aimar@tamu.edu) and Ms. Jennifer Robertson (jrobertson@arch.tamu.edu).
Student Research and Project Poster Session
The Center for Heritage Conservation encourages attending students to submit posters on new and emerging preservation projects and research. The student poster session will be displayed throughout the symposium, with time provided on Saturday during lunch to discuss their research with symposium participants and attendees. Posters need to be 24″x36″ (portrait orientation) and should be printed ahead of time and brought to the symposium for display. Thumbtacks will be provided.
Following the student poster session and before the afternoon sessions, participants and attendees are invited to attend the Texas Chapter of the Association for Presentation Technology International (APT Texas) for their Annual Meeting. Please note you do not need to be an APTI member to attend the APT Texas Meeting.
CHC Symposium Code of Conduct
The CHC has a zero tolerance for any form of discrimination or harassment by participants, and we reserve the right to excuse participants from the event should unacceptable behavior take place.
Examples of unacceptable behavior include but are not limited to:
Harassment of any form, such as inappropriate or intimidating behavior and language; unwelcome jokes or comments; unwanted attention; offensive images; photography without permission; and threatening any attendee, speaker, volunteer, CHC faculty and staff member, or other meeting guest.
Discrimination of any form, such as inappropriate actions or statements related to race, physical appearance, age, gender, sexual orientation, ability status, political affiliation, religion, nationality, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, educational background, and/or any other characteristic protected by law.
Verbal abuse of any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, CHC faculty and staff member service, or other meeting guest.
Disruption of presentations at sessions.
If you experience profiling or harassment or hear of any incidents of unacceptable behavior, the CHC asks that you inform either Director Fabrizio Aimar (fabrizio.aimar@tamu.edu) or other CHC Faculty and Staff so that we can take the appropriate action.
This code is adapted from the Society of Architectural Historians and Vernacular Architecture Forum Codes of Conference Conduct.