Is there a difference between conservation and preservation in architecture and does it matter?
It matters in a city like New York, whose historical buildings are so much part of its identity.
Conservation is hands-on, practical, focusing on the materials. Preservation takes a step back, focusing on the context of the materials, the building and its locality.
Our internationally renowned architectural conservators and preservationist do more than protect a legacy, they enrich it. And at CANY we value that.
Architectural conservation increases the lifespan of our culturally significant built heritage through testing key building materials to identify, diagnose, and resolve problems. At CANY, our expert conservators use an alchemy of science, art, craftsmanship and technology to look, listen, touch and understand when to intervene with hands-on treatment or preventative care.
Problem solving is a big part of the process. A historic building could show signs of stress that no-one can explain until a conservator takes a deep dive into the individual materials. In this way they can diagnose issues before they progress and plan the necessary interventions to prevent or slow the deterioration.
Such steps include:
Architectural preservation saves buildings and their distinctive historical architectural features from being lost or destroyed, preserving as much of the original material as possible. It focuses on the materials, the building and its local and historical context which, in a city like New York, is embedded in its culture.
At CANY, we have an internationally renowned team of preservation architects, engineers and technicians with over 25 years’ experience of working on historically significant buildings in New York and beyond. They balance a client’s vision with making the structure safe, maintaining its aesthetic identity and regulatory compliance with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, State (SHPO) and Federal regulations. All using the most cost-effective and least intrusive methods available.
Architectural preservation not only extends the long-term usability of an historic structure but, through adaptive reuse, helps mitigate against the impact of global emissions from the construction industry.
Their work covers all things relating to preservation, including but not limited to:
