The cultural significance as guide: the Arts Building and Cloister conservation and management plan

Abstract

The Arts Building and Cloister (1963-1967) is a rare architecture that brings together building traditions of Japanese and Pennsylvanian influence with innovative engineering in the form of a hyperbolic paraboloid roof. Designed by the Japanese­American architect and woodworker George Nakashima (1905-1990), the building is one of over a dozen residences, workshops and storages built on his property in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The complex and evolving relationship between the historical significance of the site and the furniture business prompted the preparation of a conservation and management plan to ensure its long-term protection and maintenance. This article summarizes the building’s design, its evolution and the main challenges of conservation of a place that is as much informed by its physical design as it is in accommodating its cultural significance as a center for peace and understanding through art and craft.

Keywords

• George Nakashima
• Arts Building
• plan de restauración
• estudios previos
• paraboloide hiperbólico