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How Preservation and Sustainability Shape Our Understanding of History

AIA CES program ID: GMG.0033

Approved LUs: 1 LU|Elective

Prerequisites: None

Program level: Entry

Advance learner preparation: None

What do we choose to remember—and who gets to decide?

This AIA-approved continuing education course invites architects and design professionals to examine preservation not just as a technical practice, but as a deeply human act. Through the lens of architect Nakita Reed’s work at Menokin and Montpelier, this conversation explores how race, memory, and sustainability are braided into the structures we save and the stories we tell.

Hosted by Nakita Reed, this course examines how preservation can both honor the past and reframe it for a more equitable future.

This AIA-approved continuing education course explores the layered intersections of race, sustainability, heritage, and memory through Nakita Reed’s reflections as both an architect and preservation professional. Centered on her work at Menokin, an 18th-century plantation in Virginia, the conversation highlights the importance of inclusive storytelling, structural parity, and sustainability in shaping architectural narratives that acknowledge the full truth of history.

Program Description

This continuing education course features host Nakita Reed in a powerful exploration of architecture, preservation, and personal connection to history. Centering on Menokin—an 18th-century plantation home—Nakita discusses her experience preparing the site’s historic structures report and reflects on what it means to document, preserve, and interpret a space that carries both monumental achievement and generational trauma.

The episode also touches on recent controversies at Montpelier and the efforts to ensure descendant communities are meaningfully included in the stewardship of historic sites. Nakita considers how her identity as a Black woman shapes her preservation work, and how sustainability and architectural storytelling intersect to expand understanding, inclusion, and healing.

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

1. Analyze the role of historic preservation in addressing the complex histories of race, slavery, and architectural legacy at historic sites like Menokin and Montpelier
2. Evaluate the significance of structural parity and inclusive storytelling in the governance and interpretation of historic sites
3. Discuss the intersection of sustainability and preservation as tools for transmitting knowledge and fostering community connections across generations
4. Explain how personal and professional perspectives shape the approach to preservation and storytelling in architectural heritage projects

Who Should Take This Course

• Preservation professionals, architects, and designers seeking to apply inclusive frameworks to their work
• AEC leaders and educators exploring the ethical responsibilities of storytelling in preservation
• Practitioners looking to earn CE credit while gaining deeper insight into sustainability, equity, and memory

Why It Matters

• Earn AIA CE credit while learning how historic preservation can elevate truth and justice
• Understand real-world methods for engaging descendant communities and reframing heritage work
• Hear from an industry-leading host sharing both technical insight and personal perspective

Take the Quiz for your Certificate

AIA CES Provider statement

Gābl Media is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number 10024977. All registered AIA CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider or this learning program may be sent to AIA CES ([email protected] or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).

This learning program is registered with AIA CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.

AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.

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