Advantages and Disadvantages of Building Restoration

Advantages and Disadvantages of Building RestorationUsing examples explore the advantages and disadvantages of anyowing redevelopment and reconstruction of diachronic buildings.For the purposes of this discussion it is primarily important to determine what is meant by historic and to rationalize the terms redevelopment and reconstruction. The terms will be used in the context of preserving and conserving buildings. This includes maintaining their predominant features and characteristics, whilst enhancing new features in keeping with the style and building constraints relating to traditional use of materials and resources. According to English Heritage buildings make it across the UK that foil everywhere a thousand days.They as well work with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and local authorities to allocate buildings such(prenominal) as these according to their criteria for listing or categorizing for the purposes of their historic importance. These argon identifi ed using the following criteriaThose having architectural interest buildings which are nationally important for the interest of their architectural design, decoration and craftsmanship also important examples of particular building types and techniques.Those deemed of historic interest this includes buildings which illustrate important aspects of the nations social, economic, cultural or military history.A variety of places that have a keep out historical association with nationally important buildings or events.Places which have con pass value, especially where buildings are part of an important architectural or historic group or are a fine example of planning (such as squares, terraces and model villages) 1English Heritage define historic in relation to a number of factors. All buildings constructed before 1700 are automatically listed. Similarly this is the case with most properties up to 1840. A number of post 1945 buildings are also include in these terms. A comprehensive br eakdown of listed buildings statistics across the UK is illustrated below38% are domestic dwellings15% control from before 1600nearly 20% date from the 17th century31% from the 18th century32% from the 19th century3% from 1900-19440.2% from 1945 or tardilyr2Introducing conventional features can have negative consequences on properties such as those defined above. Not only for cosmetic or domestic purposes but also in relation to implementing safety measures into a property. and availableness by way of lifts and hand rails etc for the pull in of people with disabilities.There is also a trend for interpreting properties of historical interest into entertainment or edutainment orientated experiences which can be argued devalues the historic importance and often pull aheads historical inaccuracy from the learning perspective. The final consideration to be made in relation to this assay question is the notion of whether old buildings should remain preserved exactly as they are witho ut any enhancement, improvements, additions or restorations. That they should reflect the period they were constructed in and be immortalized as a historical or scientific study.This paper will seek to exemplify many of these issues relating to the redevelopment and reconstruction of historic buildings which covers a broad argumentation for discussion.The English Tourist Board published a paper in 1991 entitled Maintaining the Balance which proposed new schemes designed to ensure that historic town environments worked in sync with their communities whilst providing the trimor with a traditional experience. Visitor Management Plans were adopted and Town Centre Managers were recruited as means of taking these initiatives forward. The conservation and preservation of reinforced heritage often involves maintaining tight restrictions and limited planning opportunities which is not conducive to new housing projects or business opportunities which could generate enterprise and economic b enefits. kind of many of the UKs classified historic towns remain stagnant and non progressive.3 Similarly there are currently plans to renovate and restore the city centre of capital of The Netherlands in keeping with its cultural heritage. The city centre is divided by two groups of residents. One enjoys the aesthetic benefits of living in this area, while the second are simply living centrally for the purposes of work and being close to amenities. This second group is unconcerned with the historical importance of the city and is not prepared to identify in maintaining or developing it as such. Often when areas such as this are under preservation orders high costs are incurred for maintenance and service in the style accustomed to the period. This in turn raises the rents of properties which become too high for existing residents to afford, eventually forcing them out of their homes, as is feared in Amsterdam.4When considering the practical aspects of someone houses, when a bui lding is disassembled or exposed for the purposes of renovation or reconstruction, a great many vital elements which are original to its heritage can be lost. This might include clay or lime mortars used in between joist, foundations and chimney linings. Wooden frames held together by pegs can fracture if disengaged and it is of import that that high levels of carpentry skills and traditional craftsmanship techniques are applied when reconstruct and renovating buildings.5There are an abundance of sites, Museums and stately homes which are testaments to living history and endure for the benefit of the public across the world today. Colonial Williamsburg and the Historic Charleston Foundation in the United States, Slave Forts in Africa and Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in the UK to name a few. They all encourage the preservation of old buildings. With this redevelopment comes the opportunity of numerous availability of grants and Heritage Lottery funding to help with this proc ess. They alter people to remain aware of what is important historically and that reflects the lives and communities from which we all originate. People managing these processes need the necessary expertise with which to achieve these renovations and reconstructions. Acquiring documentation of age is subjective as is being true to the period in which it was built architecturally. Architectural historians in the United States for example have divided buildings into around half a dozen large periods of half a century each. These phases are then sub-divided into over-lapping periods. Even then not all of these categories are universally recognized.6 This suggests reason abounding for ensuring that each building selected for re-development is accurately assessed and renovated accordingly and appropriately. It is important also to remember that this is not a new phenomenon. In 1877 the painter and writer William Morris wrote a pronunciamento against the proposed restoration of Tewke sbury Abbey. During this and subsequent periods architects considered restoration to be about changing a building for the purposes of altering it to reflect its key historical importance. For example during the late nineteenth century many Anglo-Saxon churches in the UK were restored into Gothic interpretations. This was a reflection of peoples attitudes then surrounding medieval masons, who were deemed uninitiated into religion. wherefore the Gothic form and design purported to purist representations and was in essence closer to God.7It is important then to remember that when renovating buildings they do not become exploited for the benefit of coetaneous tastes and trends. It can be argued that many of these living history experiences have become just that and are able to be devalued very easily.Accuracy ground on the facts available to the architects is what should remain of paramount importance when reconstructing any historic building.One of the most exceptional examples of r econstruction to be seen today is with the city of capital of Poland in Poland. During the Second World War over 85% of the city centre was destroyed. A huge campaign and total restoration took place over a number of years. The results of which stand today including replica churches, palaces and a market places all sensitively and historically representative of a history which spans some octette hundred years in its reconstruction. 8On the former(a) hand reconstruction is never going to be entirely accurate in some instances and it is these examples that encourage debate. Take for example the tourist reconstruction site at Mount Vernon in Washington where the coach house, slave quarters/ greenhouse and stercorary have all been restored following fire damage that occurred in the mid nineteenth century. Some of which was based on documents and reminiscence accounts from past generations. Parts of the stercorary were rebuilt in 2001 incorporating the original cobbled stones and brickw ork uncovered by archaeologists with research sourcing a drawing from 1807 which provided structural accuracy to be maintained. However when builders came to reconstruct the blacksmiths shop the old plantation ledgers illustrated detailed records pertaining to its location and activities. Whilst other archives provided details relating to the working blacksmiths themselves. Nonetheless contradictions began to appear relating to the shops exact location and its appearance during the year 1799. This contention has raged for over fifty years and has raised all the issues regarding physical reconstruction and the amount of evidence that is required in order to support the justification for re-building the property without sufficient authenticity.9Another confusable example of this where reconstruction has been curtailed is with the handling of Franklin Court in Philadelphia, the residencies of the former President Benjamin Franklin. During the 1970s an extensive programme of research b oth archaeological and archival was carried out on the assumption that the house and grounds would be renovated and fully furnished into an interpretative museum. But the research revealed little evidence of any pictures or drawings of what the house had actually looked like. Consequently no reconstruction took place other than the outbuildings and grounds which had retained more documented evidence. Proving that accuracy is reassuringly not unceasingly taken for granted in this type of work.Future functional requirements of a building are also aspects of development to consider within a historic building, as the law now governs that public buildings need to comply with the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) by ensuring they have accessible routes both internal and external as well as ramps, lifts and toilets where necessary. This legislative requirement has had an impact on the way in which many historic buildings have had to alter their environment, which is of course an enormou s and necessary benefit for people with a disability although it remains one more area of concern where public renovations and redevelopments are taking place.The most heated debate in terms of redevelopment of historic buildings is of course a matter of architectural and archaeological appreciation. Some sites are considered simply not available to be rebuilt. Sites such as Pompeii for example or the Pyramids of Egypt. They are revered as preserved examples of the past, museums in their own right. They consist of ruins which are touchy and vulnerable. If these ruins become too fragile or it becomes impossible to maintain them then it is understandable that some sort of structure may have to be built around them. This may of course eventually decrease the visual enjoyment of a historical building which is why so many sites of importance are now being re-built. much(prenominal) historical monuments are now able to be reconstructed far more easily by way of digitization. Several dig ital projects of this type exist for educational purposes and are becoming more widespread. In addition many historic houses like the Queens House in Greenwich, London provide significant 3D models that demonstrate the different architectural development of the construction and alterations over time. 10Technology has become so precise and truthful in its interpretations that this may prevail as the preferred method of reconstruction and development in the future.Many historic buildings get demolished just because they are old, so the modern appreciation for rebuilding and conserving these properties are essential to maintaining the cultural heritage of nations throughout the world. However it is important that the historic environment from which they have descended is fully understood. The right skills, techniques and materials from an archaeological perspective are fundamental to ensuring this process is achieved accurately and sensitively.BibliographyDeben, L, Salet, W (2004) Cult ural heritage and the future of the historic inner city of Amsterdam heated up SpinhuisSmith, M.K, Robinson, and S.M (2006) Cultural tourism in a Changing World Politics, Participation and (re)presentation Channel View PublicationsParavalos, P (2006) Moving a House with rescue in Mind Rowman AltamiraNash, G (2003) Renovating sr. 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