Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Sumacab Campus, Cabanatuan City

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

Reporters: KENNETH AUSTRIA

JASNINE BERMUNDO
ALIZA JOY CLEMENTE
ANA LERIZZE DINGLE
FRANCEZCA XYRHYLL RAMOS
Subject Professor: ARCH. ANGELO A. PARUNGAO
Subject Code: AR 463
Course Title: SPECIALIZATION 1
Semester: SECOND SEMESTER
Academic Year: 2021-2022
Topic: HISTORY AND THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURAL
CONSERVATION

HISTORY OF ARCHUITECTURAL CONSERVATION

 The heritage and the policies related to its protection, restoration, and conservation have
evolved together with modernity, and are currently recognized as an essential part of the
responsibilities of modern society.
 Cultural Heritage - The entire corpus of material signs – either artistic or symbolic
handed on by the past to each culture to the whole of humankind gives each place its
recognizable features and is the storehouse of human experience
 The preservation and the presentation of the cultural heritage are a cornerstone of any
cultural policy. -UNESCO, 1989
 Past Approaches to Historic Structures
o The oldest urban settlements were founded in: Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus
Valley, China
o These early kingdoms and empires were the basis for the development,
consolidation, and diversification of artistic conceptions, and cultural inputs,
techniques, and know-how.
o The physical cultural heritage of humanity results from long developments and
traditional transfer of know-how in particular societies as well as of influences
and ‘cross fertilization’ between different cultures and civilizations.
o America received its first inhabitants from Asia over the Bering Strait and
developed its distinct cultures
o Europe emerged from the classical world through the Middle Ages; later it
developed technologies and methods of industrial production that allowed
commercial benefit and ruling over traditional societies.
o The built heritage is continuously subject to various types of deterioration
 Weathering
 Ageing Process
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  Consumption by use
o The degree of wear depends on the type of structure and material of the building;
consequently, repair traditions may differ in different cultures and geographical
regions.
o Such damage was often repaired, or the buildings rebuilt, but excessive damage
could result in the abandonment of entire cities and regions. Desertion could also
be caused by the exhaustion of resources, or due to political decisions.
o In the past, the manner of building materials, structural systems, and forms of
ornament were related to cultures, and only changed over long periods of time,
thus, giving a certain harmony and continuity to a place. _ Architectural
Coherence
 De Architectura - Influential Manual by Vitruvius In the First Century BC

-specific regulations to guarantee that new buildings were designed in

harmony within the existing built context. Good building practice and
maintenance were some of the leading themes. He emphasized the
importance of knowing all aspects of the site when designing a building or
planning a town, and noted that buildings should conform with the nature
and climate of each place (VI,i:1).

 In the first century, The Erechtheion was repaired and rebuilt after a fire
 The conservation architect responsible for the Acropolis, Manlios Korres, has concluded
that the aim was not merely to repair the Erechtheum, but ‘to restore it as a monument of
high artistic worth’.
 After Christianization of the Roman Empire
in fourth century, The Arch of Constantine was built
with sculptures and reliefs taken from several
monuments of previous centuries. The heads of
previous emperors were re-carved to represent the
features of Constantine.

 Spolia (Spoils)- is repurposed building

stone for new construction or decorative
sculpture reused in new monuments. It is
the result of an ancient and widespread
practice whereby stone that has been
quarried, cut, and used in a built structure
is carried away to be used elsewhere.

 Theodoric the Great (493-526) -was celebrated as one of the great builders. He revived
some previous laws and was praised by contemporaries for giving new life to the empire.
He was particularly concerned about architecture, considering maintenance, repair, and
restoration of ancient buildings as valuable as the construction of new.

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REDISCOVERY OF ANTIQUITY

 The disintegration of the Roman Empire, and the gradual dissolution of the ancient world
gave birth to Europe during the Middle Ages. This development was accompanied by the
movement of tribes and populations around the continent.

 The Huns arrived from Asia, extending their dominion over a large part of eastern and
central Europe in the fifth century. Successively, these areas were taken over by various
other tribes. Beginning in the fourth century, and over a period of several centuries,
Christianity progressively replaced the original religions in all parts of Europe; moreover,
in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, three major expeditions of Christian crusaders
travelled to the Near East to conquer Jerusalem.

 In the Mediterranean area, Islam remained dominant, with a foothold even in Europe –
especially in Spain and Sicily. In the south of Europe, existing settlements continued to
evolve, but, with population growth, new settlements and cities were founded from south
to north, and from west to east. Gradually Europe found a new identity, different from
antiquity, which was expressed in the diversity of its cultures and city states. During this
millennium of constant movement, change and growth, there was also much destruction;
ancient monuments were modified for new uses, or their material was reused in new
constructions. (Such practice can, in fact, be found in all parts of the world.)

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 IMPORTANT PERSONALITIES WHO FOUNDED THEIR AUTHORITY IN THE PAST

 Charlemagne (742–814), who resided at Aachen, spoke Greek and

Latin, and was surrounded by learned men; the buildings of his time
clearly reflected the continuity of classical tradition.

 Emperor Otto I (912–973) placed the capital of the Holy Roman

Empire in Magdeburg, where he had architectural elements and
marbles brought from Italy as ancient, sacred relics.

 Frederick II (1194–1250) resided in the south of Italy; he founded the

university of Naples, and patronized art and literature. He is
considered the most enlightened man of his age, speaking all the
principal languages of his empire, and writing poems in Italian; he
received learned men from all cultures, tolerated Jews and Muslims,
and anticipated the later humanistic movement. At the same time, he
persecuted heretics, and represented the absolute princely power of
this era.

Continuity was relevant in the mediaeval construction of cathedral churches, such as

Durham Cathedral. Mediaeval workshops had rules whereby elements prepared by a mason
should be used in the construction, and not thrown away, even if the person died. In most
cases, construction was continued in the manner that was prevalent at the moment. It has
occurred, however, that the initial building ‘manner’ could be continued in periods with
completely different ‘stylistic’ intentions, as in Kotor Cathedral in Dalmatia, or in some churches
in France or England, only completed in the time of full classicism as a ‘mediaeval survival’.9 In
Siena, the principles of thirteenth-century design guidelines were applied in successive
centuries due to a conscious conservative policy – as a reinforcement of the city’s identity in
rivalry with Renaissance Florence.

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  Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) conceived the physical world as the
visible result of God’s action, which was realized through the
constitution of political states. In the Divina Commedia, he
animated personalities of all times in a dialogue in virtual,
atemporal space, opening the scene for the timeless revival of the
ideals of the ancient world.

 Francesco Petrarch (1304–74) established a similar, imaginary

dialogue with Augustine, whom he elevated to a humanistic ideal,
and with whom he interrogated the state of his own soul.

In terms of ancient monuments, the Renaissance marked a turning point. The memory of
ancient Rome had always persisted even in its ruins, although these had been abandoned,
vandalized and scavenged for building material. Now, with the insistence of Petrarch, new
humanism saw the ancient monuments as relics of the past grandeur of ancient Rome,
Christian and Imperial, and they acquired an important political significance. Although the
impact of pagan Rome was still strong, attention was given particularly to the Christian aspect of
this heritage, and, for example, there were studies on the role of Christians in the construction of
Diocletian’s thermae, and the sacrifice of martyrs in the arena of the Colosseum. Furthermore,
ancient monuments provided lessons: artists and architects could learn about art, architecture
and technology; humanists could learn about history and the Latin language and literature. We
can see the roots of modern archaeological consciousness in the attempts to relate literary
history with the actual sites. Consequently, there was a new beginning of collections of
antiquities for purposes of study, as well as for the sake of a social status. The role of Rome as
a cultural center was revived, and the number of visitors grew. Since the fifteenth century, there
also appeared protective orders, and Raphael was the first to be nominated responsible for the
protection of ancient monuments in the papal administration.

Another important impact of the Renaissance was on the concept of art. Although still in
the Neoplatonic tradition, the idea of the work of art was promoted in contrast with the
mediaeval artisan tradition. As a result of the comparison with ancient artists, the growing
interest in collections, and the implied political value, the concept of the work of art emerged in

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its aesthetic dimension, instead of having a principally functional significance as in the Middle
Ages.

THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION

Conservation - “action to secure the survival or preservation of buildings, cultural artefacts,

natural resources, energy or any other thing of acknowledged value for the future” (James
Simpson) and further suggests updating of this definition might replace the first word “action”
with “management of change”. This has the benefit of being straightforward, succinct and
acknowledging that change is what we are faced with.

APPROACH OF ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION

1. Conservation
To retain its historical and/or architectural and/or aesthetic and/or cultural significance
2. Preservation Includes maintaining the fabric of a place in its existing state and retarding
deterioration.
3. Restoration Returning the existing fabric of a place to a known earlier state by removing
accretions or by reassembling existing components without introducing new materials.
4. Reconstruction It means and includes returning a place as nearly as possible to a
known earlier state and distinguished by the introduction of materials (new or old) into
the fabric.
5. Revitalization A process of economic, social and cultural redevelopment of a civic area
or neighborhood.
6. Rehabilitation It may involve more adaptation than conservation but will still preserve
most of the building's original features.
7. Renovation The basic character and significant features are respected and preserved,
but some alterations may take place which are generally reversible.
8. Maintenance It means the continuous protective care of a place, and its setting.
9. Adaptation It means changing a place to suit the existing use or a proposed use.

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 HISTORICALLY 3 MAJOR CHARACTERS HAVE INFLUENCED CONSERVATION
PHILOSOPHY

1. Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (1814-79)

Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (January 27,

1814 – September 17, 1879) was a French architect
and author who restored many
prominent medieval landmarks in France, including
those which had been damaged or abandoned during
the French Revolution.

Viollet-le-Duc wrote that restoration is a “means to re-establish

[a building] to a finished state, which may in fact never have
actually existed at any given time.”

He has had a huge influence on the development of

architectural theory through the 20th Century and to today.
Essentially he took structure and function of Architecture as its
sole determinants of form, completely dismissing speculative aesthetic systems. In effect he
preceded Louis Sullivan’s “Form Follows Function” by several years.

During the early 1830s, a popular feeling for the restoration of medieval buildings developed in
France. Viollet-le-Duc, returning during 1835 from study in Italy, was commissioned by Prosper
Mérimée to restore the Romanesque abbey of Vézelay. This was the first of a long series of
restorations; Viollet-le-Duc’s restorations at Notre Dame de Paris brought him national
attention.

He thought that restoration architects should know more than just the history of the building in
order to restore it; they should also know the different forms the building possessed, and know
the local and national history.

Regarding the actual restoration of the building, Viollet stressed the importance of structure,
materials, and usefulness. Architects should pay close attention to the structure of the building
because the equilibrium or structural stability of a building must remain intact.

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 Le stryge Gallery Of Chimera

Viollet-le-Duc’s “restorations” frequently combined historical fact with creative modification. For
example, under his supervision, Notre Dame was not only cleaned and restored but also
“updated”, gaining its distinctive third tower (a type of flèche) in addition to other smaller
changes including the gallery of chimeras and Le Stryge which have now become iconic
symbols of Notre Dame themselves.

CARCASSONNE

Possibly his most famous restoration, the medieval fortified town of Carcassonne, was similarly
enhanced, gaining a set of pointed roofs that are actually more typical of northern France on
each of its many wall towers. Modern conservation practice considers Viollet-le-Duc’s
restorations too free, too interpretive, but some of the monuments he restored might have been
lost otherwise.

VIOLLET’S RESTORATION PROJECTS

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 NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS BASILICA OF SAINT DENIS STATUE OF LIBERTY

2. JOHN RUSKIN (1819-1900)

His writings especially “The Seven Lamps of Architecture” (1849)

and “Stones of Venice” (1851-53) were highly influential and
remain in print today. In the “Lamp of Memory” he wrote, “Neither
by the public, nor by those who have the care of public
monuments, is the true meaning of the word restoration
understood.

It means the most total destruction which a building can suffer: a

destruction out of which no remnants can be gathered: a
destruction accompanied with false description of the thing
destroyed. Do not let us deceive ourselves in this important
matter; it is impossible, as impossible as to raise the dead, to
restore anything that has ever been great or beautiful in
architecture.”

He termed restoration as “the most total destruction which a building can suffer: a destruction
out of which no remnants can be gathered; a destruction accompanied with false description of
the thing destroyed.”

The nineteenth-century practice of restoration, according to Ruskin, appeared to have two

steps: “dash the old work to pieces” and “put up the cheapest and basest imitation which can
escape detection.” However, regardless of the carefulness of the restorer, it was an “imitation
still, a cold model.”

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Ruskin dismissed the act of restoration for “the thing is a Lie from beginning to end.” He
acknowledged that some people may argue that there was a need for restoration, and he said
that was true; however, people must realize that when it was a necessity, “it is a necessity of
destruction.” Instead of restoration, Ruskin recommended tearing down the building and using
its parts to create something new rather than making a copy of the original.

RUSKIN’S WORKS

 OLD HOUSES ON THE RHONE ISLAND, GENEVA

ARCHITECTURE

 HE HAS WRITTEN SEVEN LAMPS OF ARCHITECTURE

3. WILLIAM MORRIS (1894-1936)

William Morris founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient

Buildings (SPAB) in 1877 based on the teachings of Ruskin.
Morris was particularly concerned about the practice of
attempting to return buildings to an idealized state from the
distant past (i.e. Viollet-le-Duc’s approach), which often involved
the removal of elements added in their later development and
which Morris saw as contributing to their interest as documents
of the past. He saw this as lying.

Instead, he proposed that ancient buildings should be repaired,

not restored, so that their entire history would be protected as
cultural heritage.

According to Morris, “the strange idea of restoration of ancient buildings” began in the
nineteenth century. The definition of this restoration was to remove from the building parts of its
history that did not fit into the specific restoration period and to scrape away at the surface of the
weathered stone until the surface is smooth.

Furthermore, those who performed restoration under the guise of bringing a building to a
specific time did not have a guide, or evidence, for doing so.

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William Morris’ Works

WILLIAM MORRIS IN LONDON RED HOUSE

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