Weitzman’s Jules Dingle on social and environmental sustainability

Architect Jules Dingle joined the Weitzman faculty as professor of practice in the Department of Historic Preservation last fall. Dingle is a founding partner of DIGSAU, an award-winning interdisciplinary architecture and historic preservation practice in Philadelphia since 2007.

Dingle says his new role at Weitzman is a convergence of what DIGSAU does and the new territory that the preservation department is venturing into. "The preservation department has a very expansive view of what preservation means. It is not exclusively about physical material, but also about ecology, culture, and who it serves. … At DIGSAU, our work engages theory, but it's primarily shaped by future-oriented questions about cities and communities. We pin things up on the wall and have theoretical discourse, but the architecture generates out of the assignment. For me, this new role at Weitzman has been a convergence of what DIGSAU does and the new territory that the preservation department is venturing into."

Dingle highlights some of the preservation work that DIGSAU is tackling: "Rebuild Philadelphia is a larger project. It is a city initiative that allocates tax money to improving libraries and recreation centers. The first project is the Francis J. Myers Recreation Center (FJMRC) in West Philly and the second is the Carousel House in the Centennial District. They are both fantastic community anchors, in totally different neighborhoods. In both cases, our work asks many architecture and design questions that are fundamentally about preserving communities. Many of these neighborhoods are woefully underserved in terms of recreation, community space, and the amenities that are essential for a community to be a community."

At Weitzman, Dingle explains that "I'll be leading the master's in historic preservation design track. With this, I think there is an opportunity to teach design studios in a different way. I think I've heard [Gonick Family Professor] Frank Matero, our chair, say that, historically, preservation was an academic department in a design school. Using this as a starting point, there's an opportunity to do something interdisciplinary, something a bit more collaborative."

This story is by Matt Shaw. Read more at Weitzman News.