2023 Theses Master's

Maintenance Theory: Applying Care Within a Socio-Technical Framework of Preservation in the Modern Built Environment

Daniel, Schuyler

Maintenance Theory is an exploration of the techni-social relationship between communities and the objects they care for and, ultimately, maintain. In this case, the act of care, as a physical interaction, is considered maintenance and works to extend the life of both the building and the community. This thesis explores historical practices of maintenance in the built environment since the late 19th century, seeking to understand how the relationship (and accessibility) between user and object has been altered by technological and industrial innovations of the 20th century. Out of the research, the thesis develops a framework called “Maintenance Theory” which illustrates the operatives of care in the context of historic preservation. Ultimately, this thesis presents an expanded definition of maintenance that activates all users within an environment as practitioners of maintenance, each with an input that serves, preserves, and perpetuates the significance of place to people.