ABSTRACT:Apart from the usual field technical survey information for establishing the building configurations and fabric conditions, information flow for a rehabilitation project begins earlier with the need for authenticating the building as a significant heritage item and ends subsequently with validating the rehabilitation of the building. These three genres of the information are recognized under three information settings. This study investigates the first, the setting associated with authenticating the significance of the building. The discussion is structured around the process of evaluating building significance for the purpose of listing the building on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and, accordingly, recognizes the NRHP framework for nominating properties to the Register. With due consideration to the concomitant information and documentation along the nomination process, and with the "historic context" as a core significance assessment strategy, the study aims at: a) explaining the configuration of the historic context; b) clarifying the role of the building itself in developing the historic context; and, c) identifying the attributes of information flow. The study arrived at the following conclusions. Investigating "the information associated with authenticating the significance of the building," the focus of this study, as an information setting of a spectrum of three helps define the global information flow in building rehabilitation. Steeped in research, the historic context configuration and development steps regulate the information flow of this setting. The knowledge and dexterity of the researcher in configuring and developing the historic context enhances the clarity and characteristics of information flow.

PurposeThis study examines the time, place and theme constructs from the viewpoints of their theoretical configurations and potential applications in heritage conservation. The examination taps on the relationship of time to chronology, place to geography and theme to the human agency. Time, place and theme pose challenges in delineating workable definitions and in corroborating the resolvability of the terms into real-world applications. The challenges stem from the metaphysical nature of the constructs and the conjectural interpretability of the associated connotations.Design/methodology/approachThe humanistic setting of the study supports qualitative research and information assessment methods. Information to support the theoretical objective (configurations) comes from the seminal literature on the very nature of time, place and theme and on their relationship with chronology, geography and human agency, respectively. The information to support the applied objective (applications) comes mainly from the works of the US National Park Service heritage programs, particularly the historic context strategy where the members of the triad are applied.FindingsThe theoretical knowledge about time, place and theme geared towards framing the constructs' configurations and applications in heritage conservation is lacking. Mediating time into chronology, place into geography and theme into argument provides a useful framework for understanding the constructs' configurations and applications.Originality/valueThe study adds knowledge on time, place and theme that helps delineate the configurations and applications of these constructs to the benefit of heritage conservation planning.

<p>Aesthetics is a pillar consideration in historic preservation. Yet, purposing aesthetics for historic preservation ends seems to lag behind the opportunities. Utterly subjective, aesthetics poses challenges for the preservation community worldwide to moderate, accommodate, and purpose aesthetics in heritage programs. The challenges revolve around the assessment of aesthetical purposing in three domains. These domains include the community disposition towards accommodating aesthetics (advocacy), the criteria and strategies for assessing the aesthetic value of historic resources (signification), and, the standards for treating historic resources in preservation projects (interpretation). This study, therefore, assesses the trends for purposing aesthetics in historic preservation thought and practice through three platforms: advocating aesthetics, signifying aesthetics, and interpreting aesthetics. The study completed literature content analysis on aesthetics in general and aesthetics in historic preservation in particular. Further, because of the perspective of the study, the works of international and country preservation programs provided information relevant to advocacy, signification, and interpretation of aesthetics that have been refined by classification, comparison, and exemplification methods. Among others, these works include those of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the U.S. National Historic Preservation Program in the National Park Service. The study culminated with general and platform-specific conclusions. First, as the three proposed platforms (advocacy, signification, and interpretation) maintain structural and serial relationships, they constitute a relevant and feasible framework for assessing aesthetical purposing. Second, as the aesthetical purposing assessment followed a broad, international perspective, the conclusions of the study are commensurate with the selective scope of information used from international and country preservation programs. Third, the contribution to aesthetical purposing at each of the three platforms can be measure only in general, and at times, subjective terms.</p><p><strong>Highlights:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Proposing aesthetical advocacy, aesthetical signification, and aesthetical interpretation as a platform framework to assess the purposing of aesthetics was feasible.</p></li><li><p>As aesthetical purposing was approached from a broad, international perspective, the conclusions of the study commensurate with the selective scope of information used.</p></li><li><p>The contribution to aesthetical purposing at each of the three platforms is hard to measure; however, the indications point to uneven contribution.</p></li></ul>

Considering the CIPA research agenda, this paper recognizes shortcomings in the biannual symposium scholarship in the areas of documentation represented in the research and in the robustness of the scholarly outcome. The purpose of this study was to assess and-as applicable-make recommendations on the research associated with CIPA's symposium from the viewpoint of the areas of documentation researched (topical affinity) and the level of scholarly robustness (research thoroughness). Symposia proceedings were utilized as a primary source of data; Excel statistical functions were used for data analysis. The research design involves: a) selecting representative symposia out of past symposia population, b) reducing the number of symposium proceedings papers through random-selection sampling, and, c) evaluating sampled papers through devised measures and procedure. The results pointed to a working premise of the study. Recommendations for improving CIPA research program were made in light of this conclusion.

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