Flaws and perfection: architectural heritage under the hood of prejudice

If the buildings could be placed under a glass cover to be put on a shelf and admired while blowing away the dust, then the problem would not exist. But unfortunately. As you read this article, the old buildings in your town are decaying and falling apart. Which of the methods of their treatment should be chosen?

 

Intervention: You do it respectfully

The phrase "intervention in heritage" no longer carries exclusively negative connotations. Every two years, the jury of the European Award for Architectural Heritage Intervention selects the best examples of architectural interventions in heritage sites, including protected ones.

In the 2021 competition, the main prize went to the Dutch studio KAAN Architecten for the project of reconstruction and expansion of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp (Read more about the principles of KAAN Architecten's work with context in the 9th volume of PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA, in exclusive interview with Vincent Panhuizen and Keis Kaan, who participated in the international competition for projects of the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center).

The exterior of the building of the Royal Museum, designed in the 40th century. by architects Jakob Winders and Frans van Dyk, has practically not undergone any changes. At the same time, the exhibition space has almost doubled — by XNUMX%. How is that possible?

Initially, the museum building had the shape of a square with an inner courtyard, which was later filled with temporary buildings, mainly for economic purposes. KAAN Architecten transformed this low-functioning square into a new, emphatically modern, minimalist museum block. Due to the multitude of windows in the steel roof, the insolation of the old galleries is practically not disturbed.

The phrase "Intervention in heritage" has long ceased to have exclusively negative connotations

The architects discovered another spatial reserve under the building itself. Back in the years of the Cold War, the basement was deepened, building a military bunker to preserve priceless exhibits. Now these premises have been expanded: the builders have raised almost one and a half thousand tons of concrete and steel to the surface.

The bunker was turned into a modern, equipped storage facility, which made it possible to free up space in the main building, which was previously used as an archive. In the course of the work, restorers cleaned the original vaults and columns of the basement floor of the museum.

Restoration of historic stucco, parquet floors, mosaic panels on the ceiling of the lobby, gilding of bas-reliefs and friezes - the scale of the restoration work is also admirable. "What cannot be saved can be created anew and improved" - this principle was applied during the restoration of the Italian mosaic floor by the Pelarin brothers.

On the balconies and in the lobby, the mosaic floors were first completely dismantled to eliminate cracks in the base of the coating, and then relaid using a modern grout that is resistant to moisture and micro-vibrations. But in the entrance area, the original coating was spoiled by inept restoration in 1977.

Marble elements were simply embedded in wet concrete, eliminating the possibility of their painless dismantling. After it became clear that it was impossible to restore the original mosaic, the museum administration decided to integrate a modern panel into the ancient interior based on the sketches of the artist Marie Zolmian.

The plot of the mosaic is a fantasy inspired by paintings from the museum collection. The work turned out to be not only capacious in terms of content, but also large-scale: 76 square meters of 480 elements is the largest work of mosaic art in Europe today, created in the last 20 years.

The ingenuity of the architects, the openness of the museum administration, the courage to bring a modern artistic gesture into history — all this together became the reason for the judges of the European Award for Architectural Heritage Intervention to recognize the KAAN Architecten project as the best.

 

Japanese concrete and Parisian baroque

In the European paradigm, modern intervention in historical architecture not only has the right to life, but can be emphasized as avant-garde. In May 2021, an exhibition space opened in the Bourse de Commerce building in Paris, after a three-year renovation.

The Mercantile Exchange is considered to be the same age as the Eiffel Tower, opened in 1889. But at the heart of its structure is the ring-shaped building of the Halle au Blé, a wheat market, built by the architect Le Camus de Mézières in 1763–1767.

The inner courtyard was originally covered with a wooden dome so that the grain would not be damaged by rain. After the fire of 1802, the dome was replaced with a cast-iron one, created according to the drawings of François-Joseph Bélanger. But the fire of 1854 still badly damaged the building. For the World's Fair, Henri Blondel built the Paris Mercantile Exchange in the style of Louis XVI on the site of the ruins - with a richly decorated facade, an inner hall where deals for the purchase and sale of food were made, and a glazed dome.

Despite the fact that the Trade Exchange is protected as a national architectural monument, in the XNUMXst century. it changed not only the function: the interior design by the "master of concrete" Tadao Ando radically changed the nature of the interior space.

Billionaire and collector Francois Pinault, who owns the auction house Christie's, the renovation project cost 150 million euros. Pinot did not change: he realized his old dream of his own museum in the center of Paris. The Trade Exchange building is not owned by Pinot - his company Kering disposes of it under the terms of a long-term lease, paying the city 18 million euros every year, but, according to the 85-year-old philanthropist, this is the case to which the catchphrase "Paris brews masses" can be applied .

Modern intervention in historical architecture not only has the right to life, but can also be markedly avant-garde

The restoration was carried out under the supervision of Pierre Antoine Gauthier, appointed by the state as the chief architect and curator. The Frenchman easily got along with the Japanese Tadao Ando, ​​who at first did not pretend to interfere with the structure of the baroque facade. Ando erected a concrete cylinder with a 9-meter wall in the round hall of the stock exchange, under the dome, creating the central exhibition space of the new museum.

A staircase that wraps around the cylinder leads to a ring-shaped observation deck, from which you can view in detail the intercontinental trade frescoes that adorn the interior facade by Henri Blondel.

Ando's concrete rotunda is intended for the demonstration of accent works of contemporary art, installations and performances. However, like all of Ando's work, it is self-contained. "Architecture is a word uttered by space. The concrete wall speaks to the viewer. And this is a powerful word," says the Japanese architect. The galleries, located inside the historic ring-shaped structure, appear more traditional and neutral, exhibiting paintings, photographs and small sculptures from the extensive collection of François Pinault.

The provocative contrast between historic and modern architecture is nothing new for Parisians, especially considering that the new museum is located near the Louvre and the Pompidou Museum. However, such experiments are always quite risky, and it would be wrong to call them a general practice.

To replicate Tadao Ando's gesture, one must be in Tadao Ando's professional "weight class". But sometimes this is not enough. For example, despite proposals from world-renowned architects to renovate the roof and spire of Notre Dame Cathedral, which burned down in a fire in 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron backed away from his plan to recreate them in a modern style.

And in July 2020, he reassured the society with the decision that the spire would remain Gothic and be restored using the technologies of the past with literal observance of the principles of the Venice Charter. Replicas of the cathedral's roof and spire will require large quantities of high-quality oak wood, which is currently harvested throughout France. Reconstruction is planned to begin in the fall of 2022.

 

British system: right of owner

The system of protection of immovable cultural heritage in Great Britain is considered the most effective, but at the same time the most difficult to organize. It is based on several dozen legislative acts of national and local importance.

At historicengland.org.uk you can find the National Heritage List for England (NHLE), which is the only official and up-to-date register of all historic buildings and publicly protected sites in the country (including battlefields and shipwrecks). There is also a publicly available step-by-step guide for residents who are concerned about the fate of a monument and wish to grant it a protective status.

To submit an application, it is enough to fill out a fairly concise online form. Community organizations are the cornerstone of the British security system. The first was the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings), founded by the famous designer William Morris and architect Philip Webb in 1877. Having gathered like-minded people, they organized high-profile public campaigns for the protection of buildings and in this way put pressure on politicians and officials .

The founders of the National Trust - Octavia Hill, Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwick Rawnsley - took a different path. They already had experience in social activities, in which they managed to be partially disappointed. In the society of landlords, the last word remains with the landlord, therefore, from the end of the XIX century. the fund began to buy back real estate with the money collected by patrons.

Most often, aristocrats simply bequeathed their family castles to the organization with the confidence that the managers of the National Fund will take care of the buildings and gardens dear to their hearts much better than frivolous descendants, and will certainly not allow demolition and ugly reconstruction. Often, such wills are drawn up during life and under the condition that the houses will remain the residence of the family members.

This was done, for example, by Lord Rothschild and the Duke of Devonshire. According to a 1907 Act of Parliament, property transferred to the National Trust can never be resold. We previously wrote in detail about the creation of the fund, its founders and the role of volunteers in the article "100 reasons to get your hands dirty. Civic activism and garden volunteers» in the 25th volume of PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA.

"We are not custodians of heritage, we are its advocates," said Simon Murray, Deputy Director General of the National Foundation, describing the organization's mission. Today, the foundation owns more than 500 buildings, most of which are available for visits and tours (for foundation members - at any time and free of charge, for all others - on special days and with tickets).

In the middle of XX century. the fund began to buy up land on the coast and now owns 1200 km of coastline, which is 93% of the coast of Great Britain. The annual turnover of the National Fund reaches 500 million pounds - these funds come from rent, membership fees, commercial activities, patrons.

The National Foundation, with its four million members, is a systematic opponent of development and regional development programs, blocking, in particular, the construction of wind power plants and geological exploration. The government will never be interested in preserving real estate for a purpose other than commercial, and the development of tourism is the maximum that officials can come up with, the National Fund believes.

However, the main task is to preserve the identity, what makes Great Britain Great Britain. In this matter, the managers of the fund have reached the heights of advocacy and are able to repel almost any attack by developers and lobbyists with the help of a whole army of volunteers and sympathizers. In 2012, when the Parliament adopted the Charter of Developers, the foundation became the main opponent of the draft law and managed to introduce many amendments to the document.

Community organizations are the cornerstone of the British system of national heritage protection

But not everything is so perfect. If you analyze the British press, it turns out that the National Fund itself often acts as a developer, allocating land plots for development. For example, in the town of Stamford Brook, under the auspices of the National Fund, cottages for 750 families were built on the lands of the Dunham Massey estate.

And 300 apartments - in the town of Pearland. Sometimes such activities lead to loud scandals: in Devon, local residents accused the fund of conspiring with the developer. The organization was trying to sell three acres of land used to grow wild field grasses. The Sunday Times even ran an article with the headline "National Trust property speculator".

Architects and developers themselves criticize the foundation not only for its conservatism, but also for its indifference to progress in architecture and to architecture as such: they say, behind the chatter about well-being and nature, which is the cure for all diseases, the keepers have completely forgotten about architecture itself.

The National Foundation with its four million members is a systematic opponent of development programs

For all its intolerance towards developers, the National Fund demonstrates readiness for justified and reasoned reconstructions of objects, especially when the goal is to support modern requirements of energy efficiency or nature protection. For example, the BBC recently aired a story about replacing the roof tiles at Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk, a 1th-century listed Grade XNUMX (highest value) mansion.

The works, on which several million pounds were spent beyond the budget, were carried out for the sake of the well-being of ... bats. It turned out that the tiles were too slippery for the animals' claws. The ceramics were painted with a special paint with sand to create a rough texture, and the roof was re-roofed.

But just two months ago, the reputation of the British as the world's conservatives in terms of heritage protection was destroyed by the UNESCO committee.

 

If the old interferes with the new

In July, UNESCO removed Liverpool from the list of world heritage sites. The historic city center and port docks were listed as evidence of the development of one of the world's largest trade centers in the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. But, according to the conclusion of UNESCO experts, the implementation of the plan to regenerate Liverpool's waterfront and merge it with the city center critically violates valuable historic planning.

The goal of the Liverpool Waters megaproject with a total cost of 5 billion pounds is to create a dense mixed-use development with housing, offices, hotels, shops, a museum, a stadium, and a cruise liner terminal on the post-industrial area of ​​the docks.

The concentration of listed buildings per square kilometer in Albert Dock is one of the highest in the United Kingdom. For more than a century, the main highlights of Liverpool's waterfront have been three luxurious buildings nicknamed the "Three Graces" - the Royal Liver Building, the Cunard Building and the Mersey Docks offices. Today they are surrounded by modern architecture.

No, the protected zone of the UNESCO site is not violated by the new development, but it is not continuous, but has gaps with industrial zones that have been allocated by the municipality of Liverpool for regeneration. UNESCO believes that the appearance of dozens of new buildings, including high-rise ones, will ultimately distort the historical image of Liverpool docks, depriving the place of value according to UN criteria.

UNESCO believes that the appearance of dozens of new buildings, including high-rise ones, will permanently distort the historical image of Liverpool docks

The mayor of Liverpool is outraged by the committee's position. "Our World Heritage site has never been in better shape, having received hundreds of millions of pounds of investment in the restoration of listed buildings and public spaces," said Joan Anderson. - An incomprehensible decision. Would UNESCO prefer that "Bramley Moor Dock" remain an abandoned wasteland, rather than make a positive contribution to the future of the city and its residents?".

Chris Capes, director of development at Peel L&P, which is leading the Liverpool Waters project, believes the delisting is certainly disappointing, but even without it, Liverpool's history and architecture remain intact, and the construction of new landmarks will make the city even more attractive to residents, tourists and investors.

In the 50-year history of UNESCO, this is only the third time when the object has been removed from the list of world heritage. Previously, the oryx antelope reserve in Oman lost its status due to the reduction of the protected area and animal population, as well as Dresden - due to the construction of a four-lane bridge over the Elbe near the historic center of the city.

As a sociological survey showed, more than half of the residents of Dresden were not very upset. But for the German government, the loss of status means the loss of 150 million euros allocated from the UN fund. How much Liverpool will lose is still unclear. The municipality is preparing to appeal the UNESCO committee's decision on exclusion.

 

Therapy for old walls in the American way

It would be strange and foolish not to use new technologies and tools to stabilize and restore historic buildings. It is equally strange if doctors refused to use new drugs, referring to traditions. By the way, in the USA, recommendations for dealing with old houses are called Treatment Standards, where the meaning of the word treatment is, in fact, close to "therapy".

According to the standards, four methods of "treatment" are distinguished in the USA: preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and reconstruction. In 2017, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the National Law on Preservation of Historical Heritage, the standards were updated. Americans determine the approach to heritage depending on two factors: the degree of significance of the object and its condition.

Conservation may be appropriate if materials, functions, and volumes are substantially intact. If the building needs major repairs, replacement of structural elements, or if extensions and additions are necessary for a new use, then the best therapy is rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation in the American way is the same as renovation in the European way: the main goal is to return the building to efficient use with the possibility of expanding the volumes due to additions to the historic structure or the construction of a new building next to the site.

At the same time, all interventions must visually differ from the historical "fabric" and be subordinate to it. And, of course, the project must take into account modern requirements for energy efficiency, safety and sustainability.

American standards are devoid of ultimatum, they are compiled in the form of a guide, where examples of desirable and undesirable actions, materials and technologies are described in detail for each approach. These recommendations are quite universal and apply to both ancient buildings and modernist architecture of the XNUMXth century. It remains to be envied American architects, who enjoy not only relatively wide freedom of action, but also clear instructions.

 

Ukraine: with fear and doubt

In the Ukrainian architectural community, the sacred fear and awe of the "monument" often binds not only the hands, but also the imagination of modern architects. For example, dozens of unique buildings are being destroyed in Kyiv, simply because no one risks applying to them what in the USA would be called rehabilitation, and in Europe - renovation.

"Restoration and full stop!" — such a categorical opinion can be heard not only from gray-haired men, but also from students of an architectural university. Architecture Orthodox are not embarrassed by the fact that the state budget chronically lacks funds for expensive restoration, even when it comes to preserving real masterpieces.

For example, the unique frescoes by Jan Henrik Rosen in the Armenian Cathedral in Lviv were saved from destruction thanks to the financing of the Ministry of Culture, but not of Ukraine, but of Poland. Is inactivity the same unique Ukrainian way?

As Yulian Chaplinskyi said in one of his blogs dedicated to the restoration and reconstruction of Lviv's ancient buildings: "There is nothing wrong with the fact that people simultaneously taste the wonderful Galician cuisine and learn about history."

In recent years, dozens of old tenement houses in Lviv have found their investor and have already been adapted for a new function. And every success story of a restaurant or hotel stimulates local and foreign businessmen to invest in the restoration and preservation of atmospheric, authentic Lviv architecture. Every year, the number of abandoned buildings in the historical center of Lviv is decreasing.

"History certainly costs money — and people are slowly starting to appreciate that. Because new historical houses do not appear," says Julian Chaplinskyi.

"Restoration and full stop!" — such a categorical opinion can be heard not only from gray-haired men, but also from students of an architectural university

Rick ten Doeschate, founder of the Civic Architects studio based in Tilburg, the Netherlands, suggests that the following principle should be the basis of city policy: "Before building something new, use the old." This is true not only for historic buildings with obvious architectural merits.

Modern design is able to turn even gloomy road infrastructure, such as underground passages and tunnels hated by modern urbanists, into the beauty of the city. "It is senseless and lazy to refuse the possibility of reuse. However, there is more to this than simple pragmatism. Re-use is a very effective way to achieve poetic complexity.

Perfection is usually quite boring, the most interesting buildings bear traces of different eras and design ideologies," says the architect. Renovation of the heritage makes it possible not only to pass the baton to the next generations, but also to "inscribe" a modern line into the architectural palimpsest.

Work with heritage in the XNUMXst century. — is no longer a literal reproduction, but the ability to transform losses into a new artistic gesture. This is ingenuity in finding new functions and spatial optimization. And only a small part of what people used to call "renovation". After all, much of what can be considered signs of decay is actually a valuable natural patina that creates a unique atmosphere.

"Energy in every stone": moisture spots on the foundations (buildings breathe, didn't you know?), tiles worn by feet, asymmetrical masonry - such manifestations of imperfection often do not need to be eliminated. But this is a completely different story.