True Green / Saluting My National Trust Colleagues

The San Esteban Church and convent at Acoma Pueblo.

Today is my last day at the National Trust as the Graham Gund Architect – the chief architect overseeing the buildings and grounds of the 29 Historic Sites of the National Trust.  And this is my last True Green blog.  I have been thinking about my various blogs over the years at the Trust and what many of them have done is salute the work and projects of my colleagues across the country.  So I’d like to take the opportunity with my last blog to officially salute my colleagues and friends at the National Trust.  Below are some of the highlights of my five years – listed in no particular order by site and program.  I apologize for not including each of our 29 sites but it would take a week’s worth of blogs to attempt to do that! 

True Green / Greening Historic Places Down South Part 2

One of the two Doullut Steamboat houses still standing in the Holy Cross Neighborhhood of the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans.

For much of my career (25 years this year) I have had the good fortune to travel around the continent to run projects, speak at conferences and to reconnect with colleagues I never want to let go of. While it is always wonderful when a project meeting is a success or people laugh at my jokes and applaud vigorously when I complete a speech (not as often as I’d like!), the most memorable business trips have been the ones where I come across a building or neighborhood that reminds me why I am in this business and meet dedicated volunteers who are changing their lives to help improve the lives and communities of others.  I had one of these rare and astounding experiences last month when I traveled to New Orlean’s Holy Cross neighborhood in the devastated Lower Ninth Ward to speak at Historic Green’s annual Spring Greening. 

True Green / Greening Historic Places Down South – Part 1

Shadows-on-the-Teche, a National Historic Landmark built between 1831 and 1834 in New Iberia, Louisiana.

Last month I gave my notice at the National Trust – after five years of glorious work helping to preserve some of the nation’s great icons, it is time for me to go back into my private practice.  With April 15th as my last official day, I’ve been running around the country trying to tie up some projects, make my final public appearances.  The week of March 14th I traveled to Charleston and Louisiana and was impressed and humbled by some of the work I witnessed being implemented in the name of sustainable preservation – at both an iconic National Historic Landmark in New Iberia, Louisiana  and the devastated Ninth Ward in New Orleans.

A new green fence for Shadows-on-the-Teche - Part 1 of this Southern Tale

The historic painting showing the original fence at Shadows-on-the-Teche.

How do you design a new fence for a National Historic Landmark that is both authentic, sympathetic to its context and green?  By understanding the history of the site, its historic fence and the continuum of southern fences and throwing in some research on durable materials.  Elizabeth Milnarik, the Associate Architect for our Historic Sites Department worked closely with landscape architect Ted Viator of Viator and Associates and contractor Freddie DeCourt of Iberia Building Systems (IBS) to interpret a historic painting we had of the original fence and identify the most rot-resistant materials.

True Green / Preservationists Helping to Revise LEED Green Building Rating System

The Eco-Tour at the Visitor Education Center at President Lincoln's Cottage.

The National Trust Forum Newsletter has published a more refined version of my previous blogs on the revisions to LEED.  If you are interested in keeping connected to the improvements to the LEED rating system which include better integration of cultural and preservation metrics, then take a look at this article. 

The National Trust has been committed to working with organizations such as the USGBC to integrate preservation practices with green building practices.  Our own Visitor’s Education Center at President Lincoln’s Cottage in Washington, DC received LEED Gold in 2009. 

As always, if you have any questions feel free to email me at barbara_campagna@nthp.org.

True Green / Don’t Forget to Submit Comments on LEED!

LEED certification is being evaluated for the rehabilitation of the Carter Barn at Oatlands, a National Trust Historic Site in Leesburg, VA. The project would benefit from the new Whole Building Reuse Credit in LEED 2012. Photo courtesy Li/Saltzman Architects

The latest version of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) came out in draft form (a very rough draft) on November 8^th.  The first comment period is open until January 14^th, 2011.  We would like to encourage all of our readers who would like to have a voice in the changes to LEED to review the drafts and to make comments. 

Your voices are heard!  We posted a blog on December 17^th which provides advice and suggestions, as well as directions, for submitting comments.     It is complicated and overwhelming, especially if you don’t work regularly with LEED.  You will have at least one other chance to make comments to the draft version of LEED 2012, sometime this summer.  But this draft and your comments are very important because it will codify some very significant changes to the technical content and rigor of LEED, the largest third party environmental rating system in the world.  Please read through our blog from December 17^th and if you are still at a loss on how to best use your voice, feel free to contact me! 

Barbara A. Campagna, FAIA, LEED AP is the Graham Gund Architect of the National Trust in the Stewardship of Historic Sites office.  She can be reached by email at Barbara_campagna@nthp.org.

True Green / Best Practices for Historic Sites – Buildings & Grounds

Best Practices Manual for the Care of Structures and Landscapes, prepared for National Trust Historic Sites in February 2010

Finally – the National Trust’s Best Practices Manual, complete with over 50 pages on Sustainable Practices at existing and historic buildings – is online and downloadable!

How Do You Take Care of Historic Sites?

Taking care of historic sites requires a sound understanding of good stewardship principles, some well-thought-out policies and a lot of common sense! And in the case of the National Trust’s 29 historic sites, many of which are National Historic Landmarks, expertise in historic preservation practices for buildings and landscapes. It takes a lot of skills and even more time to maintain an historic site – which often has multiple buildings and significant landscapes. 

This Best Practices manual and workbook is a reference for staff at National Trust Historic Sites to answer questions and respond to issues that frequently arise regarding best practices for the care of structures and landscapes. While this manual includes many policies specific to National Trust Historic Sites, its content and format may also be useful to historic sites and buildings across the country. One very helpful chapter is the Sustainable Practices (Chapter 13, page 80) and includes advice for making your site greener – both through capital improvements as well as green housekeeping.  National Trust historic sites are used as examples throughout the manual. 

It took about 3 years to complete this expanded manual which used an earlier version prepared by my predecessor, William Dupont, AIA, as the base.  Many colleagues and staff assisted in this endeavor, and we have already begun revisions!  If you have any questions,  please feel free to contact me at barbara_campagna@nthp.org.