MPS Restoration Field Study
Client:
Project Background:
Professor of preservation studies John H. Stubbs of Tulane School of Architecture in New Orleans became determined to make a field study to Curaçao happen after attending the 3rd Caribbean Conference of National Trusts & Preservation Societies in October 2017. Very impressed by the unique Dutch colonial architecture of Willemstad as well as the existing plantation structures in the rural areas, he teamed up with professor of architecture Andrew Liles to plan a field trip for their students.
Together with eight students they returned to Curaçao in March 2018 for a week-long field study trip. The program was developed by Kayena Consulting in cooperation with a variety of professionals and stakeholders in the field of heritage preservation on the island.
The MPS study trip to Curaçao serves the purpose of observing best practices in architectural heritage conservation in a Caribbean locale that is dissimilar from New Orleans. Of particular interest on this study trip is preservation of the historic Dutch colonial center of Willemstad and adjacent areas and a field trip to representative plantation cultural landscapes of western Curacao. Trip content integral to the study experience includes the review of specific examples of restored and rehabilitated buildings of all periods in and near the country’s capital, the integration of old and new tropical architecture, and meeting professional heritage protection practitioners.
The Program:
Day One
Arrival, check-in at Bed & Bike Hostel, followed by dinner in Pietermaai.
Day Two
The day started with a tour of Punda and Otrobanda by bike guided by local architect Anko van der Woude, followed by a sketching exersize in Punda by professor Liles in the afternoon.
Day Three
Walking tour to further discover Otrobanda with built heritage specialist Michael Newton and a presentation on heritage policy by the Ministry of Transportation & Urban Planning by sector director Caroline Manuel.
Day Four
Presentation on the private sector’s endeavors in restoration of built heritage by Marcel Dennert of the Curaçao Heritage Foundation, followed by a walking tour through Scharloo Abao and Fleur de Marie, lunch at Beyglz and a tour of the Maritime Museum. In the evening Pietermaai is explored and dinner is enjoyed at Restaurant Ginger.
Day Five
Tour of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Curaçao followed by a tour of the military and maritime history of the island, visiting cemeteries and a variety of fortresses, like Fort Nassau (for lunch), Fort Amsterdam, and on the east side of the island Fort Beekenburg with its neighboring Quarantine Building. From there a fisherman’s boat returned the group back to town by leisurely cruise down the coast.
Day Six
Tour to Plantation Ascension, Plantation Savonet and Plantation Knip to experience the plantation cultural landscapes in western Curaçao, including lunch and participation in local volunteering project, taking measurements and making drawings of the ruins of an old plantation house under guidance of François van der Hoeven and his group of volunteer hobby archaeologists.
Day Seven
Departure day.
Kayena Consulting’s Role:
Kayena Consulting developed the program in cooperation with professor Stubbs, secured involvement of the different participants and stakeholders and took on the logistical project management, which included;
Consulting on the content of the program from a local perspective, setting up appointments and making introductions;
Coordinating all logistical details with the venue and other third party vendors, including selection and booking of accommodations and transportation;
Budgeting for the on-island portion of the group trip;
Creating and coordinating the itinerary of the week;
General coordination throughout the trip.