A space research hub within mid-century modern architecture

The digital heritage project of the Teague Research Center
Benjamin Baaske, Laser Scanning Research Associate, National Center for Preservation Technology and Training

Abstract:
The Teague Research Center was once the flagship center for space research at Texas A&M University. Olin E. Teague, from whom the building gets its name, is a former Aggie, served in WWII, and represented the 6th Congressional District of Texas. Teague chaired the Committee of Veterans Affairs and was a ranking majority member on the Committee on Science and Astronautics. He also chaired a sub-committee on Manned Space Flight. His commitment to space research made him an ideal eponym for Texas A&M’s new space research center. The cohesive architectural ensemble encompasses two facilities: the Teague Research Center (TRC) and the Computing Services Annex (CSA). Teague is a mid-century modern architectural work, idiosyncratic in its verticallyorientated form. Its vertical stacks were once a functional, modern feature housing the exhaust systems for the various research labs. Teague’s inception began at a critical time in the ‘Space Race’ (1962), with its dedication (1967) just before the first lunar landing. Today, Teague reaches a critical point as a building, where its combination of age and style lend itself to renovation or demolition. Furthermore, since it is now disconnected from its space research function, issues of architectural identity and functionality often arise. The Teague Documentation Project began in 2017 as (1) a review of the historical background, (2) a condition assessment of the building, and (3) a ground-based, terrestrial laser scanning survey of the exterior. This project created a narrative of the building with its historical context juxtaposed to current condition documentation using high-precision, digital techniques. In 2018, the digital survey continued, focusing on roof-based, terrestrial laser scanning survey of the exterior and terrestrial laser scanning survey of the interior corridors and stairwells on the top three floor levels. A workflow for efficient, prioritized terrestrial laser scanning survey developed as a result. Such workflows give preservationists precedent for prioritization of documentation phases i.e. ground-based exterior, roof-based exterior, interior circulation spaces, etc. and scope of documentation projects. Additionally, the phaseprioritization of such workflows allow adaptability to project-specific objectives in digital heritage. Not only is the TRC an exceptional work of mid-century modern architecture, but this project’s synthesis of a high-tech inception narrative (the creation of a space research center) with high-tech documentation techniques (terrestrial laser scanning survey) creates a new technologic narrative of the building. This 3D snapshot of Teague is both static in its creation of record, yet dynamic as it can be revisited and engaged in order to develop new content, interpretations, and new ways of thinking about reality and our place in it.

Bio:
Dr. Benjamin Baaske (he/they) is a Laser Scanning Research Associate for the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) with the National Park Service. Ben has worked with laser scanning and photogrammetry technologies for 7 years, documenting landscapes, structures, and artifacts in architectural and archaeological contexts. They have worked on projects documenting slave cabin and tenant farming houses in the southeastern U.S., Italian churches and urban streetscapes in Castiglion Fiorentino, Classic Maya settlements in northwestern Belize, parish church font canopies in England, vernacular architecture in rural Texas, amongst others. They recently earned their Ph.D. in architecture (2022) from Texas A&M University, where they also earned an M.Arch (2017); they hold a B.S. in architecture (2015) and a B.A. in anthropology (2014) from Ohio State University.