Willowbank

2nd Year Curriculum

The second year curriculum continues activities in all three of the primary areas of study. However, increased emphasis is given to Conservation Planning, and to Project Management.

With the change in emphasis, there is more opportunity for team work in addition to individual work. This allows students to emphasize particular areas of interest within the class assignments, and to begin to appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of conservation teamwork.

Each second year class is involved in projects on sites throughout the Niagara region. The students also plan and implement a project within the Willowbank estate, by refining the management plan for the estate and organizing a team approach to its implementation.

More advanced assignments continue in the areas of research and documentation, and in conservation craftsmanship.

Research and Analysis

Building Research

Structural Analysis

This course will look broadly at the issues surrounding the understanding and protection of wood and masonry buildings. It will include understanding some of the key developments in wood and masonry building materials and technologies, and some of the typical conservation problems that arise over time. Students will learn about ways of documenting and analyzing conditions, both structural and cosmetic, and will be guided in developing conservation strategies. The course will include field trips to examine traditional buildings, to record some of their defects, and to propose solutions.

Building System Analysis

This course will look at building systems, both historic and contemporary, that affect the accessibility, safety and comfort of the built environment. This includes accessibility provisions, horizontal and vertical circulation, life safety provisions, heating and cooling systems, gas and electrical systems, and plumbing. The intent is not only to understand and document traditional building systems, but to understand energy efficiency and building sustainability from both a historic and contemporary perspective.

Research

Oral Histories

This course will look at the use of oral histories in researching historic places and communities. Students will be introduced to approaches to oral history, including identifying sources, preparing for visits, recording the information, and integrating oral history with other primary and secondary source material. Also, ethical issues will be discussed in relation to disclosure, dissemination and crediting.

Research Methods II

This course will provide an overview to historical research methods applied to both architectural history and to broader social and cultural history. Students will be identifying and working with primary and secondary sources, working with written, graphic and oral material, and developing comparative research methods. There will be site visits to registry offices, archival collections and other reference sources important in the researching of historic places. 

Three-Dimensional Drawing by Hand 

In the first year, the students concentrated on understanding two-dimensional drawing. However, we see our world not only in three-dimensions, but also in perspective. We need to understand how to draw what we actually see and to understand the principles of perspective. Ideally, students should be able to translate from two dimensions to three dimensions and vice versa in drawing. Towards that end, in the second year, the students will be introduced to axonometric and isometric projections for the accurate documentation and clarification of more complex elements. They will also learn the theory and principles of linear perspective: the direct projection method and the measuring point method for two-point and one-point perspectives. They will also be taught various geometric techniques in dividing depth and drawing perspective grids. Drawings in perspective are useful mainly for design presentations. As in the first year, accuracy of all drawings is emphasized. After the completion of this course, the students will have been given a solid foundation in two- and three-dimensional drawing. They will have learned all the drawing types necessary for the description of any building.

AutoCAD

This program is designed to develop the skill level based upon previous experience.

Development of a Historic Structures Report

In this session students will use a historic property as a case study to develop a historic structures report. Students will explore different aspects of a property individually or in small groups and then collaborate on putting the information together in an accessible format. The historic structures report will follow the general sequence of understanding original design intentions, tracking the evolution of the place over time, and then documenting the current conditions. 

Conditions Reporting

This program will explore the identification and the evaluation of the importance of both interior and exterior elements. Identification of the sequence of primary and secondary spaces, features and finishes, will be undertaken as well as the assessing of previous alterations and deterioration. Once careful assessment and documentation has been completed, work can begin on the task of determining which elements should be preserved or salvaged. In cases where previous work has changed the character of a structure irrevocably, it is vitally important to know what elements and procedures should be taken to salvage important original details such as baseboards, floors, doors and windows, plaster, original trim and other elements that give voice to the original building.

Conservation Planning

Planning 

Conservation Theory

This course will introduce students to the broad scope of conservation theory and practice, as it applies to the development of conservation plans and the implementation of conservation projects. There will be a review of how conservation theory and practice has developed over time, from the antiquarian bias of the 18th and early 19th Centuries, to the commemorative and often nationalistic bias later in the 19th Century and into the 20th, to the tourism and economic development bias so prevalent in the late 20th century to the present, and finally the ecological bias which is now emerging as a dominant theme. The course will identify the consequences of these biases or motives, in terms of the disciplines involved and the design tendencies that result. Students will undertake design exercises to explore their own attitudes and the consequences for historic places.

Statement of Significance and Management Plan

A Statement of Significance is a declaration of value that briefly explains what a historic place is and why it is important. It identifies key aspects of the place that must be protected in order for the historic place to retain its cultural value. Students will develop a statement of significance for a historic place, based on available research and field investigations. This session will also introduce students to the development of conservation plans and strategies for historic properties. It will include a discussion of how conservation plans are based on the findings of the research and documentation phase. It will consider how the three primary conservation options – preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation – can be evaluated in light of the values assigned during the research phase. Case studies will be used to illustrate how conservation plans are developed and applied.

Design

This course will introduce students to the basic principles of design. The design process will be explored both as an individual expression of intent and desire, and as a response to a particular place and program. The relationship of design to materials will be examined as integral both to the design process in itself and as part of relating contemporary layers to historic places. Students will incorporate field work into the design process. 

Presentation

This course will allow students to use their drawing and documentation skills as a basis for developing presentation skills. The session will touch on various forms of graphic presentation drawings - hand drawn, digital, and a combination – as well as oral presentation skills.

Built Heritage and Business Models

Business Models in Heritage Conservation

This course will look at various business and career models for heritage consultants in the conservation field. In particular, the course will consider heritage consultants in the private sector and how they operate. There will be discussion of the relationship of heritage consultants with private sector and public sector property owners, with developers, with general contractors, with other consultants and design professionals, and with conservation specialists. The evolving nature of heritage consultancy will be discussed, and prospects for the future.

Legal and Zoning Issues

Ontario Building Code

This course will examine the special role of Part 11 in the Ontario Building Code, when dealing with the conservation, restoration and adaptive reuse of designated heritage properties. The course will discuss the history of Part 11, and explain its performance-based approach to dealing with existing buildings. Students will become familiar with how it is applied, and how it can be used when dealing with specific types of code compliance issues. There will also be discussion of the new National Building Code and its performance-based aspects. The course will include case studies.

Municipal Process and Zoning Bylaws

This course will consider a variety of legal, zoning and code issues that affect the use and development of historic properties. The course will introduce students to municipal, provincial, and federal roles in regulating and encouraging conservation activity. Students will be introduced to the recently revised Ontario Heritage Act, the Provincial Policy Statement, relevant planning regulations including environmental assessments, the role of municipal zoning bylaws, and the National and Provincial Building Codes. The intent of the course is to provide students with a basic understanding of the regulatory environment that affects the conservation field, and to recognize areas where heritage properties are given special consideration.

Energy Systems

LEED Overview

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. Students will be given a through overview of the LEED system and its approach to sustainability in five key areas, sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

Traditional and Alternative Energy Systems

This course introduces students to the role of different energy systems in the heating, cooling, lighting and operating of historic properties. It will consider both traditional approaches and contemporary options, including new technologies that allow for sustainable design. The course will consider how the design of buildings was affected by available energy systems, including issues of thermal mass, building envelope design, buffer zones, and seasonal use patterns. Students will apply this understanding in designing conservation and adaptive reuse options for historic properties.

Sustainability - Quantitative & Qualitative Approaches

This course will introduce students to the basic issues of sustainability. It will take a qualitative as well as quantitative approach, and consider sustainability as an issue that deals with both cultural resource conservation and natural resource conservation. It will examine how historic properties are being dealt with in current discussions of sustainable design. Students will use case studies to explore how conservation issues can be addressed in a sustainability framework.

Management Plan

Management Plan

Craft Skills: Wood

Carpentry II - Conservation

This program will allow students to further their carpentry skills through hands-on experience. Working with master carpenter faculty member students will gain skills in the conservation and repair of wood elements.

Joinery

This course will give students joinery experience through a hands-on implementation project. The selected project will incorporate traditional wood joinery techniques and will be implemented at Willowbank Estate and or Bluma and Bram Appel Barn.

Windows

This introductory course will explore the restoration, not the replication, of period sash. The following fundamentals will be covered: structure, design and profile, disassembly with minimal damage, the cause of and repair, finishes, reassembly and glazing.

Craft Skills: Masonry

Mortars

This introductory course will enable students to identify the different features of stone wall construction, including footings, various layout patterns, and the selection of appropriate stone and mortar. Students will also acquire the knowledge necessary to apply the appropriate techniques and materials required for the construction of stonewall. Emphasis will be on the value of new stone structures that are in harmony with historic practices and based on traditional skills. Students will also acquire the knowledge necessary to apply appropriate techniques and materials required for the conservation of old stone walls. Students will participate in the building of a lime kiln.

Masonry II

This advanced masonry course will explore the general origins of stonewalls, what they have become, and methods and strategies drawn from many different disciplines that are being used for their conservation. Students will be instructed in the value of new stone structures that are in harmony with historic practices and best standard principals in masonry conservation. Students will participate in a lime burning.

Stone Conservation

This course will examine the various repair and conservation options available when working with historic masonry. These options range from cleaning methods to the pinning of broken masonry units, the introduction of Dutchman repairs, in situ crack repairs, Jahn mortar repairs, and the consolidation of friable masonry. Students will explore these and other techniques in a workshop setting and also do some field trips. 

Advanced Masonry

Students will be introduced to the art of stone carving. Students will be introduced to the basics of three-dimensional form through to the creation of expression and personality using shadow, depth and undercut. 

Craft Skills: Fittings and Finishes

Molds and Pests

This introductory session will provide an overview of identification and detection of termites and other wood-destroying pests including beetles, ants, bees, and fungi. Methods used for pest and mold prevention and control will also be discussed. 

Interiors

Introduction to Historic Interiors

This introductory session will introduce students to the diverse interior styles of North America from early settler to the second empire. References to house styles, floor plans and types of decorative finishes and furnishings will be explored.

Finishes Workshop

This workshop will use the area conservation project at Willowbank as a case study for hands-on treatment of existing and proposed historic finishes. This course will use previous information and additional investigation to explore original design intentions, current conditions, and options for conservation. The preferred option will be developed in detail and implemented as part of the course.

Finishes and Paint Colour Analysis 

This course will introduce the students to the analysis and understanding of historic finishes, particularly paints and varnishes. Students will be given some basic background on the evolution of historic finishes, including binders, pigments, and carriers. They will learn some of the techniques for taking samples, analyzing layers, and understanding the sequence of colours and textures. They will use case studies to understand how a variety of samples can be used to suggest early colour schemes, and how this information is combined with other kinds of research to establish the evolution of historic properties.

Plaster Program

Stuccoing Workshop

This session will introduce students to the analysis and understanding of historic stucco. Students will be introduced to the conservation and repair of stucco walls.

Metals Program

Forge II

In this session students will build on the skills acquired in Forge I.

Roofing

Roofing II

This course will further develop the students’ hands-on experience with traditional roofing methods. There will be an exploration of repair options, including in situ repair, and the pros and cons of various contemporary replacement materials. 

Glass Program

Glazing II

In this session students will build on the skills acquired in Glazing I.