A beginners' reference presentation for getting an idea of architectural conservation.

1. Architectural Conservation
Lecture I for Sem X B.Arch, NIT
Raipur(C.G.)
By:
Ar. Aditi T Koshley
Lecturer
Architecture Deptt.
NIT Raipur(CG)

2. Architectural Conservation: Syllabus
1. Definition and various aspects of conservation of natural and man
made environment including importance & need of their
conservation.
2. Survey & search of architectural heritage along with historical
cultural and archeological significance.
3. Measures of conservation i.e. protection, maintenance,
restoration, reconstruction, adoption and adaptation.
4. Methods and technology for protection, maintenance, restoration
& reconstruction of buildings and environments.
5. Architectural thought, procedure & concept regarding adoption
and adoption with or without change in mode of utilization for
exemplary buildings & environments based on assignments.
Lecture I for Sem X B.Arch, NIT Raipur(C.G.)

3. ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION
Architectural conservation describes the process through which the material,
historical, and design integrity of mankind's built heritage are prolonged through
carefully planned interventions.
Architectural conservation deals with issues of prolonging the life and integrity of
architectural character and integrity, such as form and style, and/or its constituent
materials, such as stone, brick, glass, metal, and wood.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architectural_conservation
Lecture I for Sem X B.Arch, NIT Raipur(C.G.)

4. Preservation/Conservation vs. Restoration
Preservation/Conservation were used interchangeably to refer to the architectural school
of thought that either encouraged measures that would protect and maintain buildings in
their current state, or would prevent further damage and deterioration to them. This
school of thought saw the original design of old buildings as correct in and of themselves.
Two of the main proponents of preservation and conservation in the 19th century were art
critic John Ruskin and artist William Morris.
Restoration was the conservationist school of thought that believed historic buildings could
be improved, and sometimes even completed, using current day materials, design, and
techniques. In this way it's very similar to the Modernist architectural theory, except it
doesn't advocate the destruction of ancient structures. One of the most ardent supporters
of this school of thought in the 19th century was French architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architectural_conservation
Lecture I for Sem X B.Arch, NIT Raipur(C.G.)

5. The Department of the Interior of the United States defined the following treatment approaches to architectural
conservation:
Preservation, "places a high premium on the retention of all historic fabric through conservation, maintenance
and repair. It reflects a building's continuum over time, through successive occupancies, and the respectful
changes and alterations that are made.“
Rehabilitation "emphasizes the retention and repair of historic materials, but more latitude is provided for
replacement because it is assumed the property is more deteriorated prior to work. (Both Preservation and
Rehabilitation standards focus attention on the preservation of those materials, features, finishes, spaces, and
spatial relationships that, together, give a property its historic character.“
Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was
built or designed for. Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse is seen by many as a key factor in land
conservation and the reduction of urban sprawl. However adaptive reuse can become controversial as there is
sometimes a blurred line between renovation, facadism and adaptive reuse. It can be regarded as a
compromise between historic preservation and demolition.
Façadism (or Façadomy) is the practice of demolishing a building but leaving its facade intact for the
purposes of building new structures in it or around it.
Restoration "focuses on the retention of materials from the most significant time in a property's history, while
permitting the removal of materials from other periods.“
Reconstruction, "establishes limited opportunities to re-create a non-surviving site, landscape, building,
structure, or object in all new materials."
^ a b c d "Introduction: Choosing an appropriate treatment". Secretary of Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. U.S. National
Park Service. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
Lecture I for Sem X B.Arch, NIT Raipur(C.G.)

6. CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES: ANCIENT STONE STRUCTURES
Most ancient buildings are constructed of stone and have survived from antiquity as a result of
the stability of this building material. However, stone can deteriorate rapidly without
protection, particularly in our modern era of pollution and climate change.
Architect Susan Rebano-Edwards details a simple technique for preserving stone in ancient
building structures. She supports treatment that is effective in stopping deterioration and
durable in its protective effort while changing the appearance of stone as little as possible. It
should be simple to apply, and comparatively inexpensive and reversible.[14]
The process is as follows:
1. Clean the material with soft brushes to remove ingrained dirt. Do not use dust cloths. If dirt
is extensive, use a paste jelly formula such as EDTA ammonium carbonate.
2. Wash with distilled water by brushing, spraying or by immersion or paper pulp method on
stones showing symptoms of salting.
3. Sterilize by brushing or spraying with a minimum 25% to 36% hydrogen peroxide stones
affected by presence of organic growths such as mosses and lichens.
4. Consolidate by brushing, spraying or injecting (or by impregnating, filling, grouting, jointing
or pin dowel adhesive) on very dry stone using a consolidant such as Rinforzante H or ethyl
silicate for siliceous stone (granite, sandstone). Consolidation is recommended when the
cohesive strength of stone has weakened and there is a need to consolidate or bind together
the disintegrated material.
5. Gap filling, replacement and/or retouching of missing parts.
6. In appropriate circumstances, water repellents may be applied. Spray or brush protective
films or water repellents on stone affected by chemical integration and biological attack.
Common protectants are waxes, acrylic and silicon resins.
Lecture I for Sem X B.Arch, NIT Raipur(C.G.)

7. The Criteria for Selection
To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal
value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria. These criteria are explained in
the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage
Convention which, besides the text of the Convention, is the main working tool on
World Heritage. The criteria are regularly revised by the Committee to reflect the
evolution of the World Heritage concept itself.
Until the end of 2004, World Heritage sites were selected on the basis of six cultural
and four natural criteria. With the adoption of the revised Operational Guidelines for
the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, only one set of ten criteria
exists.
Lecture I for Sem X B.Arch, NIT Raipur(C.G.)

8. Selection criteria:
i. to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;
ii. to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a
cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental
arts, town-planning or landscape design;
iii. to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization
which is living or which has disappeared;
iv. to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological
ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;
v. to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use
which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the
environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible
change;
vi. to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with
beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The
Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with
other criteria);
vii. to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and
aesthetic importance;
Lecture I for Sem X B.Arch, NIT Raipur(C.G.)

9. Selection criteria:
viii. to be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the
record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms,
or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;
ix. to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological
processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and
marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;
x. to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of
biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding
universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.
xi. The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important
considerations.
xii. Since 1992 significant interactions between people and the natural environment have
been recognized as cultural landscapes
Lecture I for Sem X B.Arch, NIT Raipur(C.G.)

10. Assignment
• Ratanpur and other visited site documentation .
•Any one monument (Indian) from UNESCO World Heritage list is to be
selected and based on it a precise and comprehensive report submission.
Lecture I for Sem X B.Arch, NIT Raipur(C.G.)