Michael Cuba

Associate

Now living in southeastern Pennsylvania, Michael began working as a conservation timber framer in the northern New England region of the United States in the early 2000’s. Trained and influenced by luminaries of the Timber Framers Guild he spent many years studying traditional joinery and vernacular architecture before collaborating to found a traditional timber frame conservation company in Vermont, USA. This work soon led to increasing teaching opportunities at the Yestermorrow and Heartwood schools in New England which continues to this day. Michael has focused on teaching documentation techniques along with the interpretation and application of the US Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. While contracting in Vermont, he began to shift his work toward assessments, nondestructive evaluation, and documentation of historic properties. This culminated in the establishment of Transom HPC, a separate historic preservation consulting company to accommodate this work in 2016.

Michael had joined the Timber Framers Guild’s Traditional Timber Frame Research and Advisory Group in 2013 where he first met Dan Miles and subsequently began to learn about dendrochronology. He has assisted Dan with numerous projects in the United States since that time. His experience in understanding historic timber framing has enabled him to critically assess and accurately select the best timbers and places to sample to get the best radial core for dendrochronology. Experience has now progressed through the analysis stage.

Since 2015, Michael has served in various leadership roles with the Timber Framers Guild. In 2018, when the founding editor of the Guild’s quarterly technical journal, TIMBER FRAMING, had retired, Michael teamed up with Adam Miller to take over as editors. In addition to working with the Guild, Michael serves on several boards and advisory boards including the National Barn Alliance, Historic Barn and Farm Foundation of Pennsylvania, Handshouse Studio and several local historical societies and municipal historic advisory review boards.

Michael’s work in architectural preservation has included collaborations with state, federal, and private organizations including the development of a new grant program for agricultural buildings in Pennsylvania, trainings, and lectures. This has also ensured that sampling for dendrochronology is carried out to the best conservation standards with emphasis on non-interventionist sampling, and his wife Virginia’s experience in art allows the core holes to be plugged and disguised completely where necessary.

As a native of the eastern seaboard of the US, Michael has been very instrumental in liaising, coordinating, and helping to sample various projects, all in association with the Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory. He can be contacted on telephone [ 860-389-2873 ].