Norma Barbacci

Norma Barbacci is a Lecturer at Yale University School of Architecture (YSOA), teaching the Preservation in the 21st Century Seminar and Civita di Bagnoregio Summer Program since 2023. Previously, she served as the Robert A.M. Stern Visiting Professor at YSOA in 2020. With over three decades of experience as a Preservation Architect, she specializes in international cultural heritage projects across Latin America, Spain, and Portugal, managing complex conservation initiatives through her consultancy firm.

Education:

• B.A. in Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University (1983)
• M.S. in Historic Preservation, Columbia University (1987)

Her research examines the evolution of preservation from monumental conservation toward inclusive practices integrating sustainability, social justice, and decolonization. She investigates architectural conservation challenges in vulnerable historic sites—particularly hill towns like Civita di Bagnoregio—addressing geotechnical instability, erosion, and socio-economic factors threatening cultural heritage. Her work emphasizes community-centered approaches that reconcile material conservation with social inclusion.

Scientific Awards:

• AIA School Medal (Carnegie Mellon)
• Adams Fund Certificate for Excellence in Study of Architecture
• Columbia University Historic Preservation Thesis Award

Barbacci directs Norma Barbacci Preservation Consultants LLC (founded 2017), managing international projects including Easter Island (Chile), Teotihuacan (Mexico), and the Alhambra (Spain). Her 16-year tenure as Program Director at the World Monuments Fund (2001-2017) involved executing over 100 conservation programs, while her prior 12 years at Beyer Blinder Belle Architects established her expertise in preservation architecture. She collaborates with professionals like Glenn Boornazian on field-based summer programs and leads studios such as the Ladeira da Misericórdia project in Salvador, Brazil, which reimagines Lina Bo Bardi’s unrealized vision for UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Her consultancy actively engages with institutions across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Italy, Mexico, and Paraguay, focusing on stabilization of deteriorating structures and revitalization of traditional communities through preservation-driven sustainable development.