ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION

– AN INTRODUCTION
WHYDO WE NEEDTO CONSERVE?
Sanchi Stupa
British Residency, Hyderabad
Notre Dame, Paris
Bamiyan
Buddhas,
Afghanistan
Do we conserve the tree or the structure?
Paradesi Synagogue, Mattancherry
 Hall of Nations, Delhi

Is this not a heritage structure?

HOW OLD SHOULDABUILDINGBETO BE CALLEDAHERITAGEBUILDING?
100 years or more? Or 60 years or more?

Who decides this?

Hiroshima Memorial, Japan
SHOULDWE RESTORE ALL HERITAGEBUILDINGS?WHY?
Warsaw, Poland
ARE WE ONLY TALKING ABOUT BUILDINGS?

What about Historic zones or cities?

What about NATURAL HERITAGE?
HOW DO WE DECIDEWHATTO CONSERVE?
WHATISAHERITAGEBUILDING?
 Part of our heritage
Produces a sense of awe and wonder
Survived for hundreds of years
Has a prominent place in history
Lecture – Discussion – Seminar – Tutorial
SYLLABUS
[Link] to Architectural
Conservation and Heritage
2. Need, Objectives and Scope, Ethics
3. History of Conservation
4. Agencies of Conservation
5. World Heritage Sites
6. Causes of deterioration
[Link] damage and repair
measures
8. Seven degrees of intervention
9. Techniques of Conservation
10. Interpretation and Presentation
ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION
- HISTORY OF CONSERVATION
 AIM OF CONSERVATION:

To preserve the values attributed to heritage and those aspects that give
significance to objects, buildings, sites, landscapes and traditions.
HOW DO WE DETERMINE WHICH IS MORE BEAUTIFULAND WHCH NEEDS TO BE
CONSERVED?
 VALUES IN CONSERVATION

Values helps to:

➢ Decide which buildings need to be conserved.

➢ Deciding proposed interventions,
➢ Reflect the cultural context of each historic building.

Values are important determining factor in the current practices and future prospects of conservation
field.

Having analysed these values they should be condensed into a statement of the significance of
the cultural property.
Intangible value - Inner strength and determination of the city
Process: Reconstruction of the city.
Distinctive architecture or landscape

Qutub Minar : Architectural Value Nishat Bagh: Landscape value

Connection with notable people or events

Sabarmati Ashram : Associational Values Jallian wala Bagh : Associational Values

The story it can tell about its past

Hampi Temple and Bazaar: Educational and Symbolic value

Distinctive landform, flora and fauna

Great Barrier Reef, Western Ghats: Landscape and Ecological value

It is found to be beautiful and inspiring

Mysore Palace, Sagrada Familia: Aesthetic and Architecture Value

Role as a focus of a community

Bodhi tree, Bihar; Indian coffee house, Trivandrum:

Social value, communal value, spiritual value
Scientific interest

Jantar Mantar in Jaipur and Delhi: Scientific value

Historic and special interest

Rashtrapati Bhavan, Gateway of India: Historic value

Evidential value

Keezhadi Excavations, Harappa Excavations: Archaeological and Evidential value

UNDERSTANDING THE VALUES

People may value a place for many reasons beyond utility or personal association:

⦁ For its distinctive architecture or landscape

⦁ The story it can tell about its past
⦁ Its connection to important persons or events
⦁ Landform, fauna and flaura
⦁ Inspiring and significant as a landmark
⦁ Role in the community
⦁ Architectural or historic or scientific interest
⦁ Special interests
TYPES OF VALUES

⦁ (1) Emotional values: (a) wonder; (b) identity; (c) continuity; (d) spiritual and symbolic. (e) associational

⦁ (2) Cultural values: (a) documentary; (b) historic; (c) archaeological, age and scarcity; (d) aesthetic and
symbolic; (e) architectural; (f ) townscape, landscape and ecological; (g) technological and scientific. (h)
religious

⦁ (3) Use values: (a) functional; (b) economic; (c) social; (d) educational; (e) political and ethnic (f) global value.

Conservation must preserve and if possible enhance the messages and values of cultural property.
 CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
Cultural significance derives from historical, architectural, scientific, social,
technological, aesthetic or other specified values.

Conservation as a process should take into account all the values thatcontribute
to its significance.

⦁ Understand the values

⦁ Assess the values
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

A statement of significance is a written record of why a place is important and

identifies the values which contribute to that importance.

‘What' is important, 'why' it is important, and `how' it is significant.

 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE OF TAJ MAHAL

“Constructed during 1631 - 48 AD by Shah Jehan in

the memory of his beloved Queen Arjumand Banu
Begam, Taj Mahal, famous equally for its architecture
as well as for serene aesthetic beauty of white
marble, stands majestically on masonry well
foundations necessitated by the close flowing river.
Double bulbous dome sitting on tall drum, outwardly
tilting minarets at the four corners are the
architectural features best executed at Taj Mahal.
Artistically laid out ‘charbagh’ garden in the
foreground is an aesthetic departure from the early
models of garden Tombs.”
 ASSIGNMENT 1

• Select one historic building/settlement which you have visited previously.

• Research on its history and current condition. Collect present and archival
images.

• Mention the heritage values that it has retained in a tabular form and mention the
attributes that contribute to the value.

• Write the Statement of Significance.

 ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION
– NEED, OBJECTIVES, ETHICS, AND PRINCIPLES
TOPICS TO BE COVERED

⦁ Understanding Heritage
⦁ Architectural Conservation - Definition, Need, Objectives and
⦁ Scope, Ethics of conservation , Significance, values in conservation
 ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION

⦁ “Conservation is the action taken to prevent decay and manage change dynamically” – Bernard Fielden

⦁ Conservation is the process of prolonging the life of a building through carefully planned interventions so
that it is available to the present and future generations to experience.
 HERITAGE

Heritage is that which is inherited from past generations, maintained

in the present, and bestowed to future generations.

⦁ Cultural Heritage
⦁ Natural Heritage
CULTURAL PROPERTIES / CULTURAL HERIATGE
Cultural Heritage is an expression of the ways of living developed by a community
and passed on from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places,
objects, artistic expressions and values.

Cultural Heritage is often expressed as either Intangible or Tangible Cultural

Heritage (ICOMOS, 2002).
 CULTURAL HEIRTAGE IS DIVIDED INTO:
TANGIBLE HERITAGE – Heritage properties such as buildings, archaeological sites, monuments
and artefacts that is considered worthy of preservation for future.

INTANGIBLE HERITAGE – Heritage elements such as art forms, language, music, festivals,
whose knowledge are passed from generation to generation
 NATURAL HERITAGE
Natural heritage refers to the sum total of the elements of
biodiversity, including flora and fauna , ecosystems and geological
structures.
 BUILT HERITAGE
Built heritage consists of all aspects of the man-made
historic environment such as houses, factories, commercial
buildings, places of worship, cemeteries, monuments and built
infrastructure such as roads, railways and bridges; physically
created places such as gardens, mining sites and stock routes;
and other places of historical significance such as
archaeological sites.
 HERITAGE BUILDING
Any building depicting characteristics of historic, socio-cultural value, striking
architectural or artistic significance in respect of style, design, use of
construction material etc.
 HISTORIC BUILDING
A building or structure which possess some ‘historic value’, i.e., people are
connected to it via past events in some way.
ANCIENTMONUMENT

Any structure, cave, inscription of historic,

archaeological and artistic value, which has been in
existence for not less than 100 years., according to
AMASR Act1958.

In British law, an ancient monument is an early

historical structure or monument (e.g. an
archaeological site) worthy of preservation and study
duetoarchaeologicalorheritageinterest.
NEED FOR CONSERVATION

⦁ Retaining Local, Regional and National Identity and

integrity.
⦁ Sustainable approach
⦁ Preservation of knowledge and skills
⦁ Creating Awareness in common citizen
⦁ Increases Property Value
⦁ Economic Value
⦁ Reduce threat from aesthetic domination
 OBJECTIVES OF CONSERVATION
⦁ Maintain the significance of architectural heritage or site- both intangible and tangible.
⦁ Preservation of tangible heritage along with their setting.
⦁ Retention of meaning or values in society.
⦁ Conservation of even fragments of tangible and intangible heritage, as a representation of the past.
⦁ Establish the efficacy of conservation as a development goal.

Se Cathedral, Goa
 SCOPE OF CONSERVATION
⦁ The scope of conservation consists of historic buildings, and ranges from preservation and consolidation of artefacts to
town planning and conservation of cultural landscapes.
⦁ Artefacts/Paintings, Historic Buildings, Urban Conservation, Cultural Landscapes

SHAHJAHANABAD, DELHI
ROLE OF A CONSERVATION ARCHITECT
⦁ A historian observes and interprets
⦁ A structural engineer concentrates on stability and safety
⦁ An archaeologist excavates and retains original material
⦁ An conservation architect does all three and coordinates these activities.
 ETHICS OF CONSERVATION
⦁ Minimum intervention: Any intervention must be the minimum necessary.
⦁ Any action taken should be reversible and should not affect future interventions.
⦁ Any intervention must be governed by unswerving respect for the aesthetic, historic and physical integrity of cultural property.
⦁ The condition of the building must be recorded before any intervention
⦁ Historic evidence must not be destroyed, falsified or removed.
⦁ All methods and materials used during treatment must be fullydocumented.

HUMAYUNS‘S TOMB
 GENERALPRINCIPLES OF CONSERVATION
⦁ Minimum Intervention
⦁ Any action should be reversible.

⦁ Maintain authenticity and integrity.

⦁ Preserve the patina.
⦁ Reuse of historic materials/ Modern material
should indicate the year. Modern techniques can
be used but should be documented.
⦁ Reconstruction using same fabric. Experimentation
is not desirable. Minimum loss of fabric.
⦁ Minimise conjecture. Misplacement leads to
confusion
⦁ Respect for contributions of all periods.
⦁ Protect the rights of indigenous community.
⦁ Protect the bond with setting.
⦁[Link]

⦁[Link]

⦁[Link]

Write keywords for conservation from these videos.

ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION
Module 1 - VALUE ASSESSMENT
 AIM OF CONSERVATION:

To preserve the values attributed to heritage and those aspects that give
significance to objects, buildings, sites, landscapes and traditions.
TYPES OF VALUES

⦁ (1) Emotional values: (a) wonder; (b) identity; (c) continuity; (d) spiritual and symbolic. (e) associational

⦁ (2) Cultural values: (a) documentary; (b) historic; (c) archaeological, age and scarcity; (d) aesthetic and
symbolic; (e) architectural; (f ) townscape, landscape and ecological; (g) technological and scientific. (h)
religious

⦁ (3) Use values: (a) functional; (b) economic; (c) social; (d) educational; (e) political and ethnic (f) global value.

Conservation must preserve and if possible enhance the messages and values of cultural property.
 CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
Cultural significance derives from historical, architectural, scientific, social,
technological, aesthetic or other specified values.

Conservation as a process should take into account all the values thatcontribute
to its significance.

⦁ Understand the values

⦁ Assess the values
UNDERSTANDING THE VALUES

ATTRIBUTES VALUES CULTURAL

SIGNIFICANCE
• Carries value • Factor or variable to measure • Values for which a site
significance needs to be conserved.

Architecture Architectural value

Material Aesthetic value
Skill/Craftmanship Landscape value
Technology Associational value to a person, or event
Fauna/Flora Ecological value
Narrative value
Social value
Historic value
Scientific value
Archaeological value
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

A statement of significance is a written record of why a place is important and

identifies the values which contribute to that importance.

‘What' is important, 'why' it is important, and `how' it is significant.

 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE OF TAJ MAHAL

“Constructed during 1631 - 48 AD by Shah Jehan in

the memory of his beloved Queen Arjumand Banu
Begam, Taj Mahal, famous equally for its architecture
as well as for serene aesthetic beauty of white
marble, stands majestically on masonry well
foundations necessitated by the close flowing river.
Double bulbous dome sitting on tall drum, outwardly
tilting minarets at the four corners are the
architectural features best executed at Taj Mahal.
Artistically laid out ‘charbagh’ garden in the
foreground is an aesthetic departure from the early
models of garden Tombs.”
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE AND VALUES IS IMPORTANT
 CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE / VALUE ASSESSMENT

Identification of Collecting Statement of Assessment Determine the

values of Information significance of values intervention for
heritage conservation

Inventory
/Listing Physical Management
condition context
assessment assessment

Materials, Occupancy,
skills etc. Stakeholders
Physical condition assessment: Assessing the condition of material, construction technique, skills, workmanship etc.

Kuthiramalika palace, Fushimi Inari Shinto Shrine

Management context assessment: Assessing the capacity of the heritage site and how it can be managed without its damage.

Bhimbetka Caves, MP
AMASR Act, 1958, Amended in 2010