Architecturally significant

historic gardens and scenic landscapes, fad-

ing mills and factories, timeworn barns

and bridges, vibrant cities and quaint small

towns…

Each tells a different side of the same story:

the saga of our history and heritage, tales

of ordinary lives and extraordinary achieve-

ments, a journal of who we are, where we

came from, and where we hope to go.

Next-generation building materials that are

stronger, lighter and more durable; struc-

tures that sense and respond to changing

weather conditions or human commands;

designed landscapes that improve suburban

water quality; research on ways to build safer

neighborhoods, health-promoting care facili-

ties and energenic social spaces…

Each advancement points to the promise of

building our homes, cities and green spaces

anew. Simply keeping the status quo is no

longer an option. Revitalizing our public

and private spaces, local ecologies and cul-

tural connections is our only choice.

Sensitivity for what came before and a quest

for innovation are both fundamental to cre-

ating superior environments.

homes and modest frame dwellings,

To respect our past — and to ensure a

sustainable future — it is vital that we

preserve, protect and revitalize our urban

and natural environments.

South Carolina, like most of the nation, is

in transition.

Blessed with a strong, knowledge-based

economy and home to a diverse and grow-

ing population, still we wonder: How can we

preserve our quality of life while welcoming

new jobs and new opportunities?

Comfortably populated now by 4 million

people, the state is estimated to grow as

much as 25 percent in the next two decades.

A third of that growth will be along the

coast.

This explosion risks turning our traditionally

agrarian state into the picture of urbaniza-

tion. We’re starting to sprawl. While South

Carolina is 40th in size among the states, dur-

ing the ’90s we ranked fourth in the nation

in the number of acres developed per person.

There is no sign that this growth is slowing.

In a 2002 study, the Greenville area was the

fifth most sprawling metropolitan region in

the nation. Accommodating such growth will

require the addition of 743,000 new housing

units, 64 million square feet of retail space,

66 million square feet of industrial facilities

and $57 billion in infrastructure improve-

ments by 2025.

Clearly, the rate of resource consumption

required for new construction and land de-

velopment is simply unsustainable. Yet the

answer is not to discourage growth and devel-

opment. South Carolina’s housing property

alone is valued at more than $170 trillion,

which makes preserving this existing equity

and investing in high-quality development

vital to the state’s economy.

These challenges are not unique to South

Carolina; other states are experiencing the

pressures of rapid urban growth and un-

planned sprawl as well. Eighty percent of the

U.S. population now lives in metropolitan

regions. Even states with an industrial past

must repair and refurbish their aging infra-

structure if they hope to retain and attract

business. Worldwide, Third World coun-

tries are modernizing at an unprecedented

rate while industrialized nations struggle to

repair and upgrade their facilities and infra-

structure.

Sole reliance on new development — and the

exploited resources, damaged ecosystems,

and decaying and abandoned infrastructure

that result — is rapidly losing ground to a

better approach: the restoration of historic,

ecological and urban infrastructure, known

as the restoration economy.

Clemson University is

at the forefront of a new

way of thinking — restor-

ing, rehabilitating and

rejuvenating buildings,

neighborhoods, civic

infrastructures and urban

ecologies to protect our

resources and ensure our

future.

Traditionally, conservation and development

have been at odds, both in philosophy and

in implementation. But it is in the area of de-

veloping integrated knowledge and expertise

that the restoration economy holds its great-

est promise — and it is there that Clemson

University has the opportunity to make his-

tory.

There is no finer laboratory for the indus-

try of preservation than Charleston and the

historic environs of South Carolina. With

facilities in both Charleston and South

Carolina’s Upstate — and the academic

strength and diversity to support such an

innovative effort — Clemson University is

uniquely positioned to lead the state, the

Southeast and the nation into the future

of this important new science-based growth

field.

The Clemson University

Restoration Institute will

establish South Carolina as

the international leader in

restoration knowledge and

expertise.

The institute will generate significant state,

regional and national economic growth by

• attracting world-renowned faculty, stu-

dents and staff;

• developing next-generation restoration

methods and technologies;

• creating new industries and strengthening

professional disciplines based on envi-

ronmentally sensitive development and

restoration practices;

• producing a highly qualified, high-wage

professional work force; and

• exporting the science and substance

of this valuable restoration knowledge

throughout the world.

Clemson University’s

vision extends to

preserving the past.

Clemson University exists because of one

man’s vision to establish a teaching, research

and public service institution that would

serve by “developing the material resources

of the State by affording to its youth the

advantages of scientific culture.” This land-

grant mission has stood the test of time, and

today Clemson University stands ready to

build a bridge to the future.

But it is a race against time. Resources are

fragile and finite, and the window of oppor-

tunity will close rapidly.

High-wage businesses and industries are

attracted to communities with high qual-

ity-of-life measures, such as clean air and

water, historical and cultural character, ac-

cessible parks and green spaces, and sound

educational opportunities. South Carolina

is rich in such public and cultural treasures:

historic architecture and artifacts, diverse

ecosystems, scenic landscapes and plenti-

ful natural resources. These treasures are

irreplaceable, however, and they are increas-

ingly at risk. Environmental stresses — wind,

water, weather — take their toll. Neglect,

contamination and deterioration speed the

decline. Population growth, urban develop-

ment and budget constraints encroach and,

often, overwhelm.

To save and renew valuable resources, to

achieve our goal of becoming a top-20 public

university, and to continue to fulfill our his-

toric land-grant mission, Clemson University

is leading the way into a future that embraces

and benefits from advances in science and

technology while respecting, protecting and

learning from the past.

Painting the Big Picture

Through Vision and

a Plan

With a goal of improving environmental

health, increasing public access, stimulating

economic growth and rebuilding commu-

nity pride, Clemson planners and scientists

helped create a master plan for a 16-mile

stretch of the Reedy River, a historic but

often neglected river that runs through the

heart of Greenville. Innovative projects in-

cluded native plant restoration and best

management practices to ensure better water

quality.

Since the plan was adapted, the river has

become downtown’s showplace. New recre-

ation and development projects are under

way, with $70 million invested to date and

more planned, public use has increased

dramatically, and downtown vitality is at its

highest point in decades. Clemson planners

and scientists are working to re-create this

highly visible success on other rivers, lakes

and streambeds in the region.

Finding the Future on the

Ocean’s Floor

When the Confederate submarine CSS H.L.

Hunley was recovered off the Charleston

coast in 2000, it opened an amazing win-

dow into the past, but one that could

quickly close forever unless handled deli-

cately and correctly.

For materials recovered from a marine

environment, uncontrolled exposure to

air leads to near-immediate deterioration

and irretrievable loss of archeological data.

Clemson University researchers are work-

ing closely with an international team of

scientists and archeologists to preserve the

vessel’s fragile equilibrium by developing

new techniques to inhibit corrosion of the

sub’s cast-iron hull, as well as discovering

methods to stabilize and conserve the pa-

per, leather, textile and organic artifacts

within.

Clemson scientists are making major

contributions through the discovery of a rev-

olutionary new rust-treatment technology.

Typically, metals that soak in salt water for

many years begin to rust immediately upon

removal, and attempts to stabilize them

are extraordinarily expensive and time con-

suming. Clemson researchers are perfecting

a technique to halt decomposition of the

metal, or slow it sufficiently, so that the sub

can be recovered and stabilized for display

in a museum. The breakthrough has the po-

tential to be extended to other underwater

metal artifacts such as cannons, airplanes,

ships and objects exposed to salt water.

Even greater than the obvious archeological

and tourism benefits of this research, the

advanced methods that will emerge have

the potential to revolutionize industries in

which metal wear and corrosion are major

challenges. Likely applications include ships,

bridges, oil platforms and chemical plants.

Valuing Authenticity —

Past, Present and Future

Collaborating with the Historic Charleston

Foundation and the Charleston Office of

Planning, Clemson students are helping

to create a digital, geographic information

system (GIS) database of the city’s historic

district, documenting the locations and

conditions of historic buildings, as well

as tracking physical and environmental

changes. To help protect the integrity of

these historic structures, this resource will be

made available online to researchers, histori-

ans and the public.

Clemson has also conducted several stud-

ies in and about Charleston, and students

in architectural studios based in Charleston

are in a unique position to provide valuable

insights and fresh ideas to residents and city

leaders. For example, the sustainability proj-

ect at 113 Calhoun Street, in collaboration

with the city of Charleston and the South

Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, has pro-

duced a model on how to retrofit historic

properties for environmental stresses and

energy savings. Another project produced

computer models of Charleston’s future ur-

ban development, enabling planners and city

leaders to react more effectively to growth

trends and requirements.

What We Will Do

Clemson University’s Restoration Institute

will be a catalyst for economic develop-

ment by making immediate and lasting

contributions to the field of restoration.

The institute’s science-based programs will

provide sustainable, cost-effective solutions

to the challenges of repairing and restoring

manmade infrastructures and urban ecolo-

gies.

Through advanced work in historic preser-

vation and materials conservation, urban

ecology, building materials and methods,

and healthful environments, the Restoration

Institute will

• lead a national and international network

of academic institutions, industries and

organizations conducting integrated resto-

ration research;

• attract world-renowned faculty, students

and staff in various areas of restoration

development;

• create a knowledge-based industry cluster

that will position Charleston and the

Lowcountry of South Carolina as the pre-

mier home of restoration knowledge and

expertise;

• provide hands-on research and education-

al opportunities for undergraduate and

graduate students through internships

and industrial fellowships;

• become recognized internationally for a

synergistic, comprehensive approach to

the restoration of historic, ecological and

urban infrastructure resources; and

• drive state, regional and national econom-

ic growth through the creation of new

industries and technologies, strengthened

professional disciplines and services, and

new environmentally sensitive develop-

ment and restoration practices, resulting

in the creation of a highly skilled, high-

wage work force.

Why We Can Do It

The ability to conduct research across many

and varied disciplines uniquely qualifies

Clemson to find comprehensive solutions to

vital worldwide challenges.

• Clemson University has graduate

programs in all areas related to the

Restoration Institute, including a Ph.D.

in environmental design and planning

and master’s degrees in architecture, land-

scape architecture, historic preservation,

city and regional planning, real estate

development, environmental engineering

and science, civil engineering, hydrogeol-

ogy, wildlife science and forest resources.

• Existing faculty include individuals of

international, national and regional

renown, each with terminal degrees and

successful research records. Areas of ex-

pertise include architectural archeology,

natural resources planning and policy,

landscape ecology, neighborhood plan-

ning, watershed planning and design,

materials science, corrosion and related

issues, and energy-efficient design.

• Clemson University facilities that ad-

vance the work of the institute include

the emerging Center for Architecture and

Health, the Brick Institute, the Center

for Community Growth and Change,

the Charleston Architecture Center,

the Construction Industry Cooperative

Alliance, the Environmental Technologies

Laboratory, the S.C. Cooperative Fish

and Wildlife Research Unit, and the

Regional Economic Development

Research Laboratory.

Clemson University

currently offers graduate

degree programs and

research centers through

five academic colleges . . .

College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life

Sciences

College of Architecture, Arts and

Humanities

College of Business and Behavioral Science

College of Engineering and Science

College of Health, Education and Human

Development

. . . and in fields as diverse as

architecture

city and regional planning

civil engineering

construction science and management

digital production arts

environmental design and planning

environmental engineering and science

forestry

historic preservation

hydrology

landscape architecture

materials science and engineering

real estate development

and many more

The stakes are high, and

the implications are

enormous.

The restoration industry offers unprec-

edented economic opportunities for South

Carolina, both in terms of private and pub-

lic investment within the state, as well as for

the export of restoration knowledge capital

throughout the world.

Already, the nationwide restoration econo-

my is estimated at $1 trillion per year, with

94 cents of every construction dollar now

spent on repairing or reviving existing infra-

structure and landscapes. Worldwide, the

restoration economy generates at least $2

trillion annually.

The restoration industry impacts much

more than structures alone. Every aspect of

development and redevelopment — roads

and transportation systems, sewers, com-

munications networks, electrical grids,

environmental and ecological systems, and

more — must be carefully considered and pre-

cisely implemented to be both long-lasting

and environmentally sound. The new ma-

terials and processes these evolving systems

will demand offer unlimited possibilities for

individuals, developers, manufacturers and

governmental agencies to partner with the

institute.

Driven by population growth and expansion,

an aging and obsolete built environment,

and strained and contaminated ecosystems

— as well as by new federal tax incentives and

mandates for the preservation of historic

structures — the restoration economy prom-

ises to be one of the most lucrative economic

sectors of the 21st century.

Time is of the essence. History will not wait

for us.

From the Restoration Institute, Clemson

University will lead the way.

For More Information

For more information on the Clemson

University Restoration Institute, contact

Janice Cervelli Schach, FASLA

Director, Clemson University Restoration

Institute

Email: jschach@clemson.edu

Clemson University Restoration Institute

234 Hardin Hall

Clemson, SC 29634-0528

Telephone: (864) 656-0637

Clemson, South Carolina