Architectural conservation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Architectural conservation describes the process through which the material, historical, and design integrity of mankind's built heritage are prolonged through carefully planned interventions. The individual engaged in this pursuit is known as an architectural conservator. Decisions of when and how to engage in an intervention are critical to the ultimate conservation of the immovable object. Ultimately, the decision is value based: a combination of artistic, contextual, and informational values is normally considered. In some cases, a decision to not intervene may be the most appropriate choice.

Compared with the rest of the world, the scope of architectural conservation in the US is more narrowly defined. It is referred to as a subset of the field of historic preservation and is closely allied with object or art conservation, with focus on materials science and preservation theory. In areas outside of the US, such as the UK and Canada, architectural conservation may sometimes be synonymous with the much broader concept of historic preservation and its attendant relationship with planning, policy, and advocacy.

In Asia where many of the fast developing and redeveloping cities are facing the issue of protecting its built heritage, architectural conservation becomes synonymous with urban conservation. A case in point is Singapore, where the government's Urban Redevelopment Authority is the authority for urban planning and urban architectural conservation.

In China, heritage conservation is divided into archaeology and architectural conservation. Increasingly, heritage conservation, be they of underground or above ground nature, is employed as the means to the economic end of tourism development. Regional governments in China are realizing the economic potential (through domestic and international tourism) of having World Heritage Sites in their possession, and there has been a flurry to apply for listing of heritage sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The threat of over-commercialization of heritage sites with World Heritage status in China to cater to the hordes of domestic and foreign tourists, as already happened to the historic town of Lijiang, has highlighted the importance of the field of cultural heritage management--how to maintain the site in a sustainable way after it has been proper conserved and opened to visitors. Hence, architectural Conservation in the Chinese context is increasingly more closely allied with heritage management and tourism studies.

[edit] Related journals

• International Journal of Architectural Heritage [1]

[edit] See also

• Category:Heritage organizations
• English Heritage
• List of historic houses
• National Register of Historic Places
• National Trusts worldwide
• World Heritage Sites

[edit] External links

• Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese Home Residing in Salem, Ma this authentic and fully rebuilt Chinese house of the Huang family, offers an in depth and interactive look into accurately restored Chinese architecture of the Qing dynasty.
• Asian Academy for Heritage Management, a virtual institute under UNESCO Bangkok's Office of the Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific.
• UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation.
• Architectural Conservation Programme at The University of Hong Kong, Asia's leading postgraduate-level professional programme in built-heritage conservation.
• Cultural Heritage Management Programme in the School of Professional and Continuing Education at The University of Hong Kong, a postgraduate-level professional programme that focuses on the management of cultural heritage assets.
• American Institute for Conservation, the professional body in the US representing practitioners of architectural conservation.
• Parks Canada, the official Canadian government agency responsible for the conservation of Canada's natural and cultural (tangible and intangible) heritage.
• English Heritage, the official British government agency responsible for the conservation of English heritage.
• Historic Scotland, the official British government agency responsible for the conservation of Scottish heritage.
• Antiquities and Monuments Office, the official agency of the Hong Kong Government responsible for the conservation of local cultural heritage.
• Heritage of Malaysia Trust, the quasi-government agency in Malaysia responsible for the conservation of local cultural heritage.