Research & Production

Overview

My research interests include construction history, sustainability and urban resilience, PDR (post-disaster rebuilding), HBIM (Historical Building Information Modeling), and construction management best practices. Combining these threads, I specialize in the analysis of past building practices (recent and distant past) in service of creating a stronger and more resilient built environment. I use digital imaging, historical research, and data mapping in my research.

Much of my professional work runs in tangent with my academic work; projects impact my academic teaching and study in a variety of ways including keeping my teaching of industry practices current, providing new source material for classroom use, supporting research topics, and connecting with other practice/research subject matter experts. The information below reflects research and creative production efforts.

The Construction History Society (CHS), based in the Department of Architecture at Cambridge University (UK), is a global society comprised of builders, architects , engineers and surveyors, conservation professionals, archaeologists, and academics. Its aim is to collect and distribute information relating to construction history and it sponsors events and publications to support this aim. I authored the following peer-reviewed article (as later collected in book form, above):   Sowder, Anne Marie, and Edward Sowder. “Indestructible: The Construction of Stormproof Concrete Hurricane Houses in the 1930s Florida Keys.” In Iron, Steel and Buildings: The Proceedings of the Seventh Conference of the Construction History Society, 13. Cambridge University, United Kingdom: Construction History Society, April 2020.

• Paper can be found at the following link: http://131.111.147.69/CHS-Conf/Papers/41.pp.527-539sower(formatted%20by%20Guan%20Yue).pdf

  The Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians (SESAH) was founded in 1983 as a regional chapter of the national Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) and covers Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Members come from the southeast, throughout the U.S., and throughout the world. Their annual peer-reviewed journal, Arris, launched in 1989 and now publishes in partnership with the University of North Carolina Press in Chapel Hill. For presentation at their October 2019 conference, I authored the following peer-reviewed article:   Sowder, Anne Marie. “The Labor Day Hurricane and the Emergence of the Hurricane House as a Floridian Vernacular Dwelling.” In The 2019 Annual Meeting of the Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians. Greenville, SC: Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians, 2019.

• Abstract can be found at the following link: https://sesah.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/SESAH2019BOOKOFABSTRACTS.pdf

The Regional Studies Association (RSA) has operated for over 50 years as a place for researchers and policymakers to collaborate on regional studies, the examination of innovation, political, economic, social and environmental change at a regional spatial scale. The organization reflects the irrelevance of governmental boundaries to many of the natural and man-made challenges of our times. RSA supports regular events and publications to foster this discussion. For presentation at their winter 2014 conference, I authored the following peer-reviewed article:   Sowder, Anne Marie. “The Sacred and the Sustainable: Changing Regional Demographics.” Regional Studies Association Winter Conference 2014 Proceedings.” In Regional Studies Association Winter Conference 2014 Proceedings. London, United Kingdom: Regional Studies Association, 2014.

• Presentation can be found at the following link: https://www.regionalstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Anne_Marie_Sowder.pdf

Creative / Professional Works

Projects in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry undergo a rigorous peer review cycle of pre-review, production, and post-build inspection. This cycle is overseen by industry experts and compliance professionals, a peer review system. I previously produced work in the following areas:

• Oversight of commercial construction projects
• Oversight of property redevelopment and reuse
• Oversight of sustainable construction

Some trivia:

• Systems/packages built:
  • Earthwork and SOE (excavation, grading, support of excavation)
  • Concrete (CIP, pre-cast, reinforced)
  • Masonry (CMU, brick, stone, landmarked)
  • Steel and misc. metals (steel framing, aluminum and galvanized systems, interior support systems, custom, engineered)
  • Insulation and waterproofing (rolled and sprayed waterproofing, rigid and spray insulation, SOFP, intumescent paint)
  • Roofing (hot and cold applied)
  • Custom doors, windows and storefront systems
  • Glass and glazing (IGU, custom, channel systems, vision and spandrel, art and bent glass)
  • Custom curtainwall and rain screens
  • Carpentry and millwork (framing, drywall, custom millwork, structural backup systems)
  • Finishes (paint and plaster; tile, wood flooring, epoxy, GFRC and GFRG, foam and fabric panels, curtain systems)
  • MEPFP (mechanical and boiler, electrical and low voltage, AV/IT, systems integration, BMS, plumbing, sprinkler and standpipe)
  • Furniture (theater seating, office, FFE coordination, custom builds)
  • Specialties and equipment (bathrooms, kitchen, UPS, broadcast systems); etc.
• Sample Projects Pre-Con or Built:
  • TV and Radio Broadcast Studio $11M; High End Academic Building  Expansion $14M; Landmarked Warehouse Commercial Redevelopment $18M; Museum $50M; New Hospital Wing $250M; Multi-use Performance Space $300M; Multi-use Academic Building $350M
• Agencies and organizations interfaced:
  • NYC DOB, NYC DOT, NYC DEP, NYC ECB, NYC DDC, NYC Parks, NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, OSHA, USGBC (LEED)

A sample of projects is below.