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Five Questions with PMA Intern Madison Irwin

PMA’s internship program provides students and recent graduates the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working in the dynamic fields of architecture and historic preservation. Our firm is dedicated to reinvesting into our existing built environment, with a focus on building material science and historic preservation. Since March 2021, Madison Irwin has been an intern with PMA. Her internship has focused on the intersection of net-zero research, approaches to sustainability, and historic preservation. Madison holds a Masters of Architecture from the University of Kansas and is currently completing her Masters of Science, Historic Preservation from the University of Oregon.

PMA intern Madison Irwin

Describe the focus of your internship at PMA. What aspects of your internship opportunity have you enjoyed most?
I enjoyed researching materials and how they relate to new and existing buildings. I learned how old materials could be used in new ways and vice versa. How we should apply an old material in a new space brings up a lot of discussion about preservation theory and my philosophy. At PMA, I was able to learn more about this tension between old and new, and how people view them differently. Tricia, Preservation Planner, and Peter, Principal-in-Charge, made these conversations interesting. They placed these conversations within the context of Portland, Oregon.

Working with Hali, Associate, and Halla, Associate-Principal, provided more of an architectural experience, especially in the realm of sustainability. The most exciting thing I researched was embodied carbon. It places the importance of using old spaces, especially if there is no reason not to use these existing spaces. It was inspirational and helped me narrow down a thesis topic for school.

Has your internship changed your perspective on historic preservation, or working with existing resources?
Yes, most definitely! It has made me more motivated to use existing places and even existing materials. There will always be a layer of history and meaning to materials, regardless of people’s care. It’s sad but true. Knowing this, I feel inspired to try and save as much as possible.

While working at PMA, I was able to work with architects and preservationists who care, very deeply, for these places that have layers of history and meaning, and there is an extra layer of sustainability and affordability that PMA advocates for. If a building means nothing to one person, the amount of carbon that was saved from being emitted or the low construction cost might be more meaningful to that person. Preservation in architecture is a way of retaining as much history as possible while making sure the resource is reused in an impactful way for the community it continues to serve.

There is more than one way to save a building and there is more than one reason to save it. It gave me a sense of opportunity.

How has your internship experience influenced your studies as you return to school to complete your thesis?
My time at PMA impacted my writing skills and how I will ultimately approach my thesis. My writing has always been something I’ve struggled with, and while I had to work through a lot of writing revisions, I also learned that it’s a forever struggle. I will always be working to improve my writing.

My thesis will look at the overlap of preservation, sustainability, and affordability, with embodied carbon being the ultimate argument to save old places. This evolved from research that I conducted at PMA.

Do you have a favorite aspect about architecture or historic preservation?
I especially love the tension between old buildings and new buildings. To see a house built in 1912 next to an ADU built in 2018 is a much more complex story. I find it more compelling than a neighborhood where everything is perfect like it was frozen in time. A layered history is more accurate to how people live their lives. Our own homes are made up of hand-me-downs from parents, grandparents; as well as the latest technologies, fashions, and books.

It sounds eclectic, it might be messy, and some people might be upset to see this new 2018 ADU in the backyard of a historic home. Some people might say, tear down the historic home! I think it comes from our society thinking that there’s no way for the two to live together. The mentality of purity is so dangerous and erases the unique, the different, the excluded.

Exploring this concept has helped me better understand how communities develop and reflect the whole history of an individual lot or a whole neighborhood. Resistance or encouragement to the ebbs and flows of developments also helps to understand the people who live in that community.

As a Kansas City native, we have to ask, what is your favorite style of BBQ?
I am unfortunately a vegetarian at the moment so I don’t get to eat my favorite, which is baby back ribs (with lots of sauce and pickles). But the grillers in KC are coming up with fun substitutes for us veggies. My favorite is a pulled jackfruit sandwich. It tastes like its own thing but is also a great replacement if you ever crave a pulled pork sandwich, with a lot of sauce, of course!

Five Questions with PMA’s Summer Intern, Skyla Leavitt

This summer Skyla Leavitt had the opportunity to participate in a paid internship at PMA in our Portland office. In addition to working as an intern, Skyla is working at the University of Oregon (UO) in Portland as a Student Services Assistant. Her position at UO includes fielding emails from incoming students, organizing orientation and a field trip that the incoming class takes, and giving tours for both the architecture and historic preservation programs. Additionally, Skyla is the first and only student to pursue concurrent Masters in the Architecture and Historic Preservation programs at the UO Portland campus. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Architecture from The Ohio State University: Knowlton School of Architecture, a Masters of Architecture from the University of Oregon: College of Design in Portland, and is currently finishing her Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the University of Oregon: College of Design in Portland. It has been a delight to have Skyla working with all levels of staff at PMA on renovation projects for existing and historic properties.

Describe something new you learned while at PMA during your internship?
I came to PMA with some professional experience in architecture and a fundamental knowledge of historic preservation. However, in the 7 years since I have started this career path, I have somehow never learned Revit, let alone how Revit is used in conjunction with an existing building. I have been developing my Revit skill-set during my internship, and I think it has been particularly helpful to learn this program through the lens of preservation, as this is how I will continue to use it throughout my career. The use of 3D laser scans and point clouds, technology I had never previously been exposed to, has not only been interesting, but also eye opening to the ways this field is effectively utilizing technology.

What have you enjoyed working on while at PMA?
I have been allowed the opportunity to partake in a variety of work in my short time at PMA, which I am very grateful for! The process of carrying out condition assessments and documenting the current state of a historic building, as well as how we might address its issues, is very satisfying to me. I have also enjoyed developing enclosure details, which has exposed me to the numerous and specific challenges architects face when working on historic buildings.

Has your internship changed your perspective on historic preservation, or working with existing resources?
I wouldn’t say my perspective has changed, rather that it has been validated. My internship has confirmed for me that I am in the right field and that I have found my niche, so to speak. I have always wanted a specialization, and new construction has never appealed the same way adaptive reuse or renovation work has. Preservation was a natural fit for me and sits well with my tendencies towards the nostalgic.

How will your internship experience influence your studies when you return to school?
When I return to school this autumn, I plan to write my Master of Science in Historic Preservation thesis about the intersection of architecture and historic preservation in practice, specifically the interdisciplinary negotiations and compromises that allow a building to maintain its historic integrity, while also achieving improved technical functionality and code compliance. I believe our ability as architects to successfully facilitate these conversations is integral to sustaining not only the physical longevity of a historic site, but also the relevance and importance it holds within the community by allowing it to serve users in new or improved capacities.

Do you have a favorite aspect about architecture or historic preservation?
I am very interested in building enclosures and how we marry modern concepts with historic practices when we make an intervention in a historic building envelope. Masonry in particular, as opposed to wood, fascinates me as it is both fragile and enduring.

BONUS: Anything fun you did in PDX this summer?
The highlights of my summer have been tubing down the Clackamas River, berry picking at Sauvie Island, attending a few concerts at the Moda Center, and hiking the Tom, Dick, and Harry Trail on a clear day when I could see Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Jefferson all at once. But I also just hang out with my cat, Olive, a lot!

Five Questions with Halla Hoffer, AIA, Assoc. DBIA

This fall, Halla Hoffer, AIA, Assoc. DBIA and Peter Meijer, AIA, NCARB, had the opportunity to teach a course in the Historic Preservation Program at the University of Oregon, School of Architecture & Allied Arts: Field Recording Methods. The course is designed for students to learn and practice the methods and strategies for conducting physical site, structure, building, and object investigation using professional practice standards. The case study for learning these methods and strategies included the Belluschi designed Robert and Charles Wilson Homes situated along the Deschutes River. The homes are included in Restore Oregon’s 2019 Most Endangered Places list.
belluschi-wilson-homes
1. How does your architect’s mindset influence your role teaching a historic preservation class?

Historic Preservation and Architecture are very closely tied together – and yet there can be a disconnect between the two fields. As architects, we are taught to think creatively about problems and develop design solutions, while also understanding building constructions and materials. I believe our background in architecture gives us a unique perspective on not only on the construction of historic buildings but also allows us to creatively find ways to preserve those structures. In this course, we’ve been able to share our architectural experience through discussions on building observations/assessment, drawing conventions, building materials, and more.

2. What is your favorite aspect of working with students interested in learning about how to conduct site-specific observation/assessments for historic structures?

We’ve had the opportunity to take two field trips out to the Wilson Homes in Warm Springs, Oregon. Each visit has been a really fun experience for the entire class. When learning how to conduct a building assessment – there is only so much information that can be communicated through a lecture. The experience of being in the field and observing a structure in person cannot compare to photographs. I’ve had a lot of fun looking at the Wilson Homes with the class – and making observations with them about the condition of the homes, original constructions/materials, existing conditions, etc.

3. Do you have a favorite aspect of the Belluschi designed Wilson Homes? [layout; relation to the land; opportunity for rehab; etc…]

One of the most unique aspects of the Wilson Homes is their location on the Deschutes River. The homes are located directly on the river – and deeply connected to the landscape. It is difficult to explain the experience of being within a canyon along the Deschutes River and within one of the Wilson Homes. The views and sounds of the landscape are completely intertwined with the experience of the Homes.

4. Why is it important to rehabilitate these structures? What stories will be lost if they disappear?

Few intact examples of northwest mid-century modern homes remain. As a culture – our preferences for interior finishes, appliances, spatial layouts, etc have changed over the last half-century. Many mid-century homes have retained their exterior appearance, yet significant interior alterations have altered the original design intent. The Wilson Homes are unique in that minimal interior renovations have taken place. In both homes, the original spatial arrangements remain in-tact and many of the finishes are unaltered. The Robert Wilson home is particularly unique in that the original kitchen remains, dishwasher included. A rehabilitation would preserve these unique examples of mid-century architecture in the Pacific Northwest.

5. If you could give one piece of advice to graduate students (or recent graduates), what would it be?

Take the time to form relationships with both professors and people outside of school you can learn from. School is a wonderful, structured way to gain knowledge. But… that structure falls away once you graduate – and the need to continue learning doesn’t. Having people you can reach out to for guidance can be a valuable tool!
historic-belluschi-wilson-homes



Halla Hoffer, AIA, Assoc. DBIA
Associate / Peter Meijer Architect, PC

Halla is passionate about rehabilitating historic and existing architecture by integrating the latest energy technologies to maintain the structures inherent sustainability. Halla joined PMA in 2012 and was promoted to Associate in 2016. She is a specialist in energy and environmental management, as well as building science performance for civic, educational, and residential resources. Halla meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Historic Preservation Professional Qualification Standards (36 CFR Part 61).