Conservation of Architectural Heritage (CAH)

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Frontmatter

2. Introductory Chapter

   1. Frontmatter

   2. Quality in the Conservation of Architectural Heritage: Methodological Issues for Developing Sustainable Practices

      Maria Luisa Germanà

      Abstract

      The goal of architectural heritage conservation has never been questioned since the very concept of heritage arose. This objective has evolved during the last century, on the one side enlarging the object of conservation (from the single building to the historical landscape) on the other including intangible forms of heritage. Furthermore, on the one hand, the objective of conservation has gradually acquired a dynamic dimension (since its achievement extends over time, since punctual results are not sufficient); on the other, it is now considered fully integrated with the contemporary world (in the multiple and intertwined dimensions of the social, cultural, economic and environmental aspects). Observing the evolution of the objective of conservation of architectural heritage, it can be observed that the focus initially shifted quickly from “why” to conserve to “what” to conserve, and then moved more slowly to “how” to conserve. This last step is still maturing today, both theoretically and operationally, helping to emphasize the importance of quality orientation, pivotal in any technological process, also in the field of built heritage. Therefore, the noun conservation today is no longer sufficient and needs qualifying adjectives (such as sustainable; reliable; inclusive), which largely depend on the kinds of conservation practices. That is why a conscious approach to the process-based vision of conservation (in which experts and users interact and in which clearly defined objectives can guarantee reliable results) is increasingly important. The contribution explores the meanings that a sticky word as “quality” can assume in the conservation of the architectural heritage, aiming to lay the foundations for a comparison between the many good practices already available, in a way that can be useful for spreading and increasing them.

   3. The Transcultural Dimension in Heritage Conservation

      Olimpia Niglio

      Abstract

      In recent years the meaning and value of cultural heritage have taken on a local dimension, favoring the centrality of communities and the development of territories in relation to their characteristics. This new perspective has been favored by the need to regenerate all those cultural processes of local realities, putting the value of culture back at the center. The serious imbalances and disharmonies that currently exist in the world highlight the need to start from the cultural values of individual communities and to build transcultural relational processes capable of giving priority to human, spiritual and educational values, all fundamental references for building a sustainable world. Meanwhile, these complicated problems of the world highlight the need to enhance the value of local cultural realities, communities, individuals with the aim of pursuing greater balance and harmony. All this requires a greater capacity for sharing, cooperation and creativity in order to achieve lifestyles more compatible with the sustainable development that the whole world now requires. This contribution aims to bring the reader closer to some issues aimed at enhancing education in culture and one's own heritage, fundamental resources for the development of our personality and our life in dialogue with others.

3. Citizens’ Involvement and Their Roles in Conserving Their History

   1. Frontmatter

   2. Life and History: Challenges on Urban Conservation and a Possible Solution: Case Studies on Historic Quarters in Beijing and Shanghai, China

      Yanhan Zhu

      Abstract

      In recent decades, the redevelopment process in Chinese cities has challenged historic quarters. While conservation awareness rises, scholars started to criticise these quarters for being restored in “improper methods”. Moreover, property privatisation and tourism development in historic quarters caused dilemmas: the majority of inhabitants were relocated under the monetary compensation system; the overwhelming tourism activities resulted in a significant loss of the uniqueness of living elements. They all pushed the local government and the inhabitants to a deeper collaboration with other stakeholders. This paper first overviewed the approaches to urban conservation, from integrity conservation to the Historic Urban Landscape, and analysed their merits and defects. Focusing on two cases in Beijing and Shanghai, it further illustrated processes of inhabitants’ participation and collaboration modes with other stakeholders, including local organisations and authorities, to safeguard the architectural heritage and redevelop the historic quarters. The measures could provide feasible approaches to balance the conflict between urban conservation and redevelopment in the aspect of heritage management.

   3. Art as a Main Tool to Expressing Identity in Architectural Heritage: A Case Study of Fatimid Cairo

      Samira Mohamed Ahmed Abdullah

      Abstract

      Art and Architecture, over centuries, have been known to represent a tool through which an artist is able to represent his or her character. More specifically, Architecture not only denotes the character of the architect, but it also tells more about the society and era to which the architect belonged as they are characterized by unique styles. Considered emblems, both Art and Architecture can tell stories of identity and a culture that is associated with people from a specific community. Each of those cultures is marked by certain elements that give its architecture a unique identity, which is manifested through building facades. In this study, the importance of Art in shaping the unique architectural heritage of Egypt is highlighted through a case study on Fatimid Cairo. Fatimid Cairo exemplifies the ways in which Art can represent a tool for heritage conservation to maintain long-lasting architecture and heritage through different ages for future generations. This type of architecture maintains and has the power to deeply influence a whole community and society’s identity as well as represent its past, present, and future of architectural heritage accumulation.

   4. Framing a Conceptual Approach for Urban Conservation in Historic Cities- A Case of Kuttichira, Kerala

      Shahim Abdurahiman, A. K. Kasthurba, Afifa Nuzhat

      Abstract

      Urban heritage is a source of identity and pride and can drive sustainable and equitable economic and social development. It represents an opportunity to build upon local traditions, skills, crafts, and techniques, helping conserve our natural resources. It also holds the potential to connect people with their past and build understanding among communities through shared experience. India's conservation movement has evolved from emphasizing prominent buildings to focusing on area-specific conservation efforts. Urban heritage conservation in India is a significant subject that can seldom be ignored. Urban heritage includes physical, commemorative, social, and economic aspects of the heritage interwoven with each other. The conservation movement has also come a long way with its changing focus—from the conservation of tangible objects to the conservation of intangible cultural heritage, from protection to participation, from control to encouragement, and from a single-purpose preservation-driven approach to a multiple-use approach. The paper aims to investigate the importance and conduct of a community-oriented approach in urban heritage conservation in India through which we can understand its role in the urban development of historic precincts. The study proposes a community-oriented conceptual methodology that can further achieve sustainable goals within the community, strengthening community participation and involvement. The proposed framework recognizes and emphasizes the community as the key stakeholder in their locality. The paper attempts to comprehend the sensitivity achieved in urban development through a community-oriented approach. The study has future scope for the conceptual approach to be explored multi-dimensionally. The methodology can assist policymakers in developing case-sensitive policies for historic urban areas.

   5. Revitalizing Historic Plazas for Integrated Urban Conservation

      Mona Helmy

      Abstract

      Historic plazas play a major role in improving or creating place identity, place memory, and belonging of heritage areas. They maintain elements of tangible and intangible heritage, such as accommodating social networks, traditions, lifestyles, traditional crafts, festivals, or rituals. Above all, they manifest a unique sense of place, and collective memory of cities to local communities, contributing to the historical character of heritage areas. The paper claims that the revitalization of historic plazas intends to reconcile conserving their historical urban landscape (HUL) to meet the changing requirements of local communities. It argues that revitalizing historical plazas is an innovative approach that helps to overcome the current urban conservation gaps in many heritage areas. Likewise, it strengthens the perceptions of the built heritage and historic buildings, while retaining their historic character and increasing their social vitality and performance. Furthermore, the distinctiveness of historic plazas can uncover the hidden forms and fabrics in historic areas and inspire their future development. This review paper aims to describe how historical public spaces as places of social interactions and traditional cultural activities are significant in conserving historic living areas. It aims to investigate a variety of approaches to the conservation of historical buildings/sites through the revitalization of historic plazas as multidimensional spaces in selected case studies. The methodology used is to study the usage of current patterns of selected historic public places; to analyze various strategies implemented to revitalize those patterns. The main objective is to contribute in formulating a practical approach to enhance the liveliness and the quality of life of historic plazas; to fit the residents’ culture as an integral part of urban conservation.

4. Heritage Forms and Types of Conservation

   1. Frontmatter

   2. Virtual Museumification to Protect and Transmit the Paleo-Christian Heritage of the East Algerian Region

      Fatima Zahra Boughanem, Etienne Wolff

      Abstract

      The conservation of monuments and ruins, which are already exposed in their sites, needs a huge budget and skilled labor. How can we transmit this heritage to future generations when its conservation is not the government’s priority, or when the competent authorities do not allocate the required budget for conservation? If the conservation of cultural heritage is mainly the competent authorities’ task, its transmission is the citizens’ responsibility. This paper suggests the use of virtual exhibitions to ensure the sound conservation of the Paleo-Christian heritage of the East Algerian region and its transmission to coming generations. The lack of interest in this heritage and the absence of research and studies still exist, despite the archaeological and artistic values this heritage has. Thus, the focal point of this paper is to highlight such idiosyncracies. We present in this article, mainly, the results of a field study on visiting these basilicas, supported by a survey on social media, Instagram in our case, to reach a greater number of probable visitors.

   3. Design Technics for the Intervention on Architectural Heritage. The Case of the Partial Recomposition of Vaulted Spaces

      Luis Bosch-Roig, Valeria Marcenac, María José Ballester-Bordes, Ignacio Bosch-Reig

      Abstract

      This article aims to research the design techniques used in heritage works publicly recognised through awards and publications. Specifically, it studies the case of interventions that seek to recompose vaulted spaces that have partially disappeared. In order to carry out the research, four works have been selected and analysed and studied both individually and comparatively to understand the benefits of each one of them: San Filippo Neri Oratory in Bologna, Chapel of the Counts of Fuensaldaña in Valladolid, Church of the Pious Schools of the College of San Fernando in Madrid and St. Peter's Basilica in Syracuse. The result obtained is the recognition of a set of techniques of great design interest that, when properly applied, can be extrapolated to future interventions.

   4. Preservation and Innovation of the Rinnovata Pizzigoni School, a Symbolic Place of the Early 20apex Century Experimental Pedagogy in Milan

      Maria Fianchini, Nicola Berlucchi, Franca Zuccoli, Flavia Mainardi

      Abstract

      In the early 1900s, Giuseppina Pizzigoni launched an experimental pedagogical programme in Milan based on the reform of teaching methods and the design and construction of a new school in keeping with her innovative educational principles. Today, the Pizzigoni method is still implemented in this school, whose special spaces are still in use. However, a lack of investment in maintenance and retrofitting and the emergence of new educational needs and requirements over time has led the building to deteriorate and become functionally inadequate. In 2020, a set of interventions was initiated with a view to conserving this architectural heritage asset. The restoration project demanded an innovative and multidisciplinary approach given its aims of conserving original materials, enhancing the building’s energy and seismic performances, updating its systems, and adapting its layout to meet the current needs of the school community. In this paper, we first present the key features of both the Pizzigoni method and the school building. Then we outline the technical issues with the building and the main intervention strategies. Finally, we focus on the co-design process brought to bear on the functional layout of the school building, and the outcomes of this process, which was implemented with the participation of the school principal and teaching staff and the involvement of the other stakeholders, including the main sponsor of the intervention.

   5. The Sub-City: Architectural Conservation as a Series of Experiential Spaces Drawing in Historical Memory in Salvador De Bahia, Brazil

      Asil Y. Zureigat

      Abstract

      The sub-city is the underlying historical narrative of every city in the world. Specific to every city, the story is a struggle, an accomplishment, or a tragedy, and in all cases, is a series of events the city and its people underwent or performed that constitute the sub-city. Given the layers that modernity added to cities, it has become significant to peal some of those layers to preserve and conserve history. This paper proposes to translate the narrative of the sub-city, or the historical memory of Salvador De Bahia to user-space experiences via architectural conservation and intervention. The city of Salvador De Bahia in Brazil served as a case study and a demonstration of design methodologies that could be implemented in architecturally conserving abandoned or old sites in the city.

   6. Documenting the Works of the Philippine National Artists in Architecture

      Jocelyn A. Rivera-Lutap, John Benedict A. Castillo

      Abstract

      The Philippines has trailblazed in recognizing its artists who have championed its culture, heritage, and tradition. Proclamation No. 1001, s. 1972, signed by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos, aims to give the highest distinction to Filipino Artists who have exemplarily promoted the identity of the country with utmost dignity and integrity. The National Artist Award covers the areas of music, dance, theatre, visual arts, literature, film and media, arts, architecture, and design. Over time, the preservation of the arts has been perfected by law, awareness of the people, and advancement of technology. However, the field of architecture has become a challenge due to its cost and ownership of the structures. To date, there are six National Artists in Architecture, namely Juan F. Nakpil, Pablo S. Antonio, Leandro V. Locsin, Ildefonso P. Santos, Jr., Jose Maria V. Zaragoza, and Francisco T. Mañosa, who have all passed away. This study aims to document the works of these National Artists and identify the buildings that are still in physical existence, as a means of providing clearer public perception, which in turn can contribute to the protection and preservation of their legacy. Descriptive and archival methodologies were utilized. It is notable that some of the structures that were created by these prominent architects have since been demolished. The purview of the research takes into consideration the laws that protect the heritage of the country. Investigative findings revealed that demolitions of such heritage architecture can sometimes be inevitable because there are contributing factors, like economic, lifespan, and urbanization, to name a few. Despite this predicament, intervention is still viable . Technology, specifically digitalization or Virtual Reality, is a key channel so that the next generation will still be able to appreciate, enjoy, and comprehend the works of the National Artists, even those not existing in the physical world anymore.

   7. Restoration and Arrangement of Archaeological Remains in the Mediterranean: The Protection of the Testimonies Between Past and Contemporary Experiences

      Rosario Scaduto

      Abstract

      In general, the need to provide for the protection of archaeological remains has always been a priority in the work of archaeologists and architects. In the past, the work of Italian archaeologists and architects in the Mediterranean has been remarkable, engaged, even outside the territory of our country, as in the island of Crete and in particular in Gortina, Festòs, and Haghìa Triàda (late nineteenth century and early decades of the twentieth century), in the restoration, accommodation and protection of archaeological remains brought to light. While in Italy, and particularly in Sicily, for example, the case of the protection, with de-restoration operations, of the Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina (2015) remains exemplary and even problematic today, in Malta (2010) and Turkey (2019). We witness the protection of archaeological remains with the construction of tensile structures that compromise the basic relationship with the surrounding environment. My talk explores the theme of the protection of archaeological remains starting from the past experiences of Italian archaeologists and architects, in the Mediterranean, and comparing these interventions with recent ones both in Italy and in countries such as Greece, Malta, and Turkey, in order to offer food for thought useful to identify suitable activities for the conservation, use and enhancement of the archaeological heritage, essential for our lives.

   8. The Accessibility of Archaeological Areas in Urban Contexts: The Valorisation of the Archaeological Areas of San Giorgio and Castello San Pietro in the Wake of the I-Access Project

      Clelia La Mantia

      Abstract

      The I-Access project, developed for the historic centres of Palermo and Valletta (Malta), has made it possible to verify a method for the regeneration of the two historic centres, with the aim of improving both physical and cultural accessibility of the heritage. It is now necessary to enlarge the range of action of the project, also including another type of heritage, that of archaeological areas in an urban setting. In particular, the reference is to the case of the archaeological areas of San Giorgio and Castello San Pietro, located in an extended archaeological area in the historic centre of Palermo. These areas today are abandoned, fenced and inaccessible, despite being fundamental elements for the knowledge and understanding of the evolutionary history of the city. It is possible to carry out a valorisation project, with the aim of full accessibility, by implementing the methodology already tested and by using a more structured and adaptable approach to an extended and complex heritage, as already done in other experiences taken as a reference and cited in this paper, which also helps in the objectification of the results. An approach borrowed in part from the technological area and in part from the valuation disciplines. In particular, reference is made to the application of precise multi-criteria analysis, therefore to the systematic collection of data on the basis of objective criteria, which in the design phase allow us to understand at the same time the criticalities and strengths in support of the valorisation project, in subsequently, they allow the quality control of the project itself (both on a territorial and architectural scale) and, finally, they allow a continuous monitoring of the conditions of usability of the site, according to principles that respond to the so-called “planned conservation”.

   9. Multidimensional Approach to Evaluation of Weathering Degree of Lower Plant on Stone Cultural Heritage in Cambodia

      Myoungju Choie, Myeng Seong Lee, Sovann In, Sineth Oum, Yu Gun Chun, Ji Hyun Yoo, Jung A Kang

      Abstract

      The West Gate of Nokorbachey Temple, built by King Jayavarman VII in the Angkor period (12–13 c), is decorated with bas-relief on medium-grained sandstone. It is being damaged by lower plants such as algae and lichens, which inhabit the surface of the stone and produce organic acids, releasing minerals into the soil and causing physical damage when removed. The high temperature, humid climate and spore reproduction of lower plants make it impossible to completely solve the biological damage of stone cultural properties in Cambodia. Thus, it is necessary to collect data on biological distribution and activity through monitoring and establish scientific conservation measures based on the analysis. In particular, because damage by lower plants is a three-dimensional damage type that accompanies the corrosion of stone through biochemical action rather than simple biofilm formation, quantitative and qualitative evaluations were carried out in parallel. In this West Gate, the incidence rate of photosynthetic algae and lichens is close to 80%; however, the bas-relief showed relatively little coverage and vitality due to the role of roof shading. As a result, partial cleaning and consolidation of the two passage gates and the right area of the external side are required due to the high level of biological weathering.

   10. Activating and Institutionalising Heritage Regulations in Sacred Historic Cities: The Case of Vrindavan, India

       Charlie Gupta, Ridhu Dhan Gahalot

       Abstract

       India is a country with a rich and diverse heritage due to the numerous ethnicities and religions that have settled in the region over thousands of years. The country has many historic cities with unique and complex architectural heritage, which attract millions of tourists worldwide. However, due to rapid urbanisation and intensive development, these heritage assets are often neglected and at risk of being lost. This paper aims to address this issue by integrating planning and urban conservation paradigms to ensure heritage regulations and awareness towards sensitive development in historic cities. The case of Vrindavan, a prominent heritage city in northern India, is examined as an example. With its unique cultural identity under threat from rapid expansion, this study proposes a methodological approach to preserve and conserve the heritage fabric of the city and generate awareness among locals and tourists. This study could be used as a basis for future research and to suggest strategies and recommendations for conserving and revitalising other historic cities worldwide.