Threats and Problems facing

Conservation
There are many threats to cultural heritage sites today, most notable of them being,

Developmental Pressures

Due to economic reasons, the cultural heritage is ignored in favor of new

constructions by the governments and policy makers.

Unsustainable tourism

A cultural heritage famous and accredited by UNESCO seal attracts millions of

visitors in a few years. This places unsustainable pressure on fragile heritage sites
and on surrounding areas and communities.

Looting

In developing nations, economic desperation can lead to looting of tourists on

heritage sites in these regions.

War & Conflict

Wars and conflicts damage the regions cultural heritage. The heritage is destroyed
inadvertently during war, or sometimes on purpose to demoralize that country.

Insufficient Management

Poor management or no management on UNESCO world heritage sites for

restoration of those sites results in loss of some or all of the cultural integrity that
defined the sites original character and value.

Natural Disasters

Earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and other disasters impact

UNESCO sites every year. With expertise and funding, appropriate strategies can be
devised to built into management plans to address these threats.
Short form: DULWIN

Causes of Damage and loss to

Cultural Heritage
Lack of Skilled experts
In developing countries often there is a shortage of skilled professionals i.e.
archeologists, conservation experts, etc. The future of conservation in such regions
looks bleak.
Lack of Effective Monitoring and Enforcement
Monitoring and enforcement is crucial in conservation. For governments with limited
financial resources, monitoring and enforcement are often unaffordable and
unjustifiable.
Lack of National Funding
Often there are no funds given for the restoration, conservation and caretaking of
heritage sites by the government.
Lack of appreciation for the seriousness and scale of the problem
In developing countries there is a failure in underlying the processes of damage to
and destruction of cultural heritage sites. For example, the media will give coverage
to individual acts of damage, but not to these overall issues.
Short Form: SENA

Ch#1.What is Architectural
Conservation?
Why Conserve?
Historic buildings are a part of the built environment. It promotes national identity,
and promotes national and international tourism. It is better to restore whats
already there, rather than to destroy and create something new.
Some buildings have historical importance and they are respected for the role they
play in portraying national identity. For example The Sindh High Court in not simply
valued because of its Victorian era architecture, but also for its symbolic role in
Justice.

In part, heritage also evokes a sense of nostalgia for a past period. Take sadder or
the old city areas for example. They evoke a feeling of the past rule of the English.
Architectural Conservation
The term Heritage refers to ruins, archeological sites, monuments, palaces,
castles, vernacular buildings, groups of buildings, settlements, and urban areas. It
also includes the natural heritage, areas of landscape importance and the cultural
value. The conservation of each building, site or structure will be different in
response to the building type, particular situation and use. However the methods
will be guided by the same underlying principles.
Architectural conservation ranges from preventive maintenance and carrying out
minimal repairs to significant modifications. Architectural conservation is not only
about buildings, its also about people.
Conservation is a creative process like architectural design.
Conservation as a Profession
The care, protection, conservation and management of historic buildings requires
the expertise of several professionals of different fields. It requires architects,
surveyors and archeologists to historians, engineers, town planners and landscape
architects as well as management professionals.
There is no one conservation professional or a single conservation organization that
regulates the field of building conservation. Nationally there are professional
institutions such as Chamber of architects, Institute of town planning. On the
international level, there are international charters and doctrines developed by the
International Council on Sites and Monuments (ICOMOS) and UNESCO.
Professional Roles in Building conservation
The ICOMOS guidelines on Education and Training in the Conservation of
Monuments, Ensembles and Sites (1993) identifies the various area of knowledge
and skill required by conservation professionals. The key point is for all of these
professionals to be able to approach a project with sufficient understanding.
Craft Skills
In some parts of the world, traditional craft skills are available for the repairs &
conservation of heritage of that region. However these craftsmen needs training i.e.
a stonemason needs training to become a stone conservator etc.
Studies in building conservation

Internationally there are a number of undergraduate and postgraduate courses

available in the field of conservation. The first of them was started by International
Centre for the Study of Conservation (ICCROM) in Rome.
Professional Accreditation
Accreditation helps professionals prove to potential clients their expertise in field.
Accreditation is given generally every 5 years. ICOMOS is used generally as a basis
for informing most accreditation criteria.
Working Internationally
There is an increased awareness for conservation now. The responsibility of
conservation professionals increases while working in a foreign office, since
proposals and specifications need to be based on an understanding of the local
values.

CH # 2. International & historic

context of conservation
The emergence of international organizations like ICOMOS in 1965 followed by
UNESCOs World Heritage Convention in 1972 has firmly established conservation
as an international concern.
How Conservation Started
The coming of Christianity saw many roman temples and basilicas adapted for use
as churches. The ruins of older buildings were utilized as building materials for
similar new buildings. The Venetians also productively reused building materials and
parts of buildings to save cost of transporting new materials.
During renaissance, an interest in monuments from classical period resulted in their
restoration. An established theory of conservation first developed in Italy, UK and
France during 18th and 19th centuries. These theories then spread to other countries
and were applied on monuments.
Restoration in 19th Century
During 19th century, an intensive restoration began on monuments. Their restoration
was done without any evidence and analysis and the monuments were completed
based on assumptions of continuity and symmetry. Clearing areas around important
monuments and displaying them in the midst of a park or garden became popular
practice.

By the latter half of 19th century, opposition grew to some of these practices. These
oppositions and the questions raised from them were incorporated into the most
modern day conservation principles. Inn 1877 Society for the Protection of Ancient
buildings (SPAB) was created, and its manifesto has become a template for modern
conservation policy.
The first ancient monuments acts was passed in 1882. In 1895 the National Trust
also played important role in conserving historic buildings.
Conservation in 20th Century
The two world war resulted in destruction of major monuments in much part of the
world. After the First World War conservation theories continued to be discussed and
new conservation technologies were developed. The conservation of buildings and
places associated with national or cultural identity became famous. The example
was set in Ypres, Belgium where several buildings were rebuilt from scratch.
In 2nd world war, further destruction followed and a similar approach of rebuilding
was applied. The historic city of Warsaw was completely rebuilt.
In 1954, the Hague convention, also known as Convention for the Protection of
Cultural Property In The event Of Armed Conflict, became the first UNESCO
convention regarding cultural heritage. The convention calls on its signatories to
respect cultural heritage of a war zone in the event of armed conflict. However this
still hasnt been enforced and violations have occurred in the past.
International Conservation Charters
In 1931, the Athens charter was devised to conserve architectural monuments. This
charter discouraged stylistic restoration in favor of conservation and repair.
Applications of modern technologies in conservation were also discussed along
other topics.
In 1964, 61 countries came together in Venice to revise the 1931 charter. The
meeting was a reaction to the stylistic restorations after the war and to the modern
movement urbanism which was destroying historic cities to build new modern cities.
The Venice charter was created there.
In 1965, the members of Venice charter established ICOMOS as an international
non-governmental organization. Today ICOMOS has a membership of over 120
countries, including Pakistan under the NED University City Campus.
The Non-Western perspective on Conservation
Not all cultures have the same sentiments and rational for their monuments.
Different cultures have different relations with their built and natural environment.

For example, In Japan dismantling and rebuilding is common practice as per their
Shinto traditions.
In conservation practices in such areas, the international charters are taken and
modified as per the requirements. For example, in Thailand, Venice charter was
adopted to reconstruct Buddhist monuments. Local charters, for example Bangkok
charters have been devised to reflect the local traditions and values.
The urban conservation movement
The urbanization boom in the 1950s and 1960s saw entire neighborhoods along
with historic monuments destroyed in favor of new housing settings. Any
monuments surviving were surrounded by new constructions and lost their original
views and values.
UNESCO & the World Heritage
The world cultural and natural heritage, also known as the World heritage
Convention was adopted by UNESCO in 1972. Through this convention UNESCO
invites cultural, natural and mixed sites of universal significance to be nominated
for inclusion on the World Heritage List.
Shifting Emphasis
Conservation-led regeneration
The regeneration of historic monuments in Europe and other parts of the world
resulted in an increase in Tourism activities. Tourism and the associated service
economy had become the major industry on which the economy depended.
The Industrial Heritage
The industrial constructions i.e. old dockyards , factories and quarters have been
transformed into new and vibrant urban districts after conservation. For Example,
the Canal Street Area in Manchester, UK or NYs SoHo District. But such industrial
heritage also represents the hardships and sufferings of the laborers of that period.
The Legacy of the 20th Century
The 20th century structures are also now nearing their state of becoming
Monuments. Many such structures are still in use. There are new issues now faced
by conserving professionals in conserving these buildings. Fair face buildings require
complete replacement of faade as concrete patches cannot restore them to
original state. Similarly the production of materials to restore some structures is
costly if those materials are no longer in use and production. On the other hand, the
advantage is that these monuments are well documented and their restorations can
be done accurately.

Cultural Landscapes
Cultural landscapes are an outcome of a culture that created them. The protection
and management of such entities that are continuously changing is a major
challenge. Compared to the more static qualities of the built heritage, the landscape
is an ecosystem in constant evolution.
Intangible Heritage
In some cultures, spiritual value or place value may be important. For example the
Hagia Sofia Musuem which was a church, then became a masjid and is now a
museum. Not all aspects of cultural heritage are physical by nature. Most cultural
sites also include other intrinsic values. All places of worship for example hold a
strong sense of spirituality. The intangible heritage also includes associations with
certain personalities or events in history, personal memory or spiritual values
associated with buildings. They also include craft traditions and methods, the
preservation of the knowledge that created the buildings.

CH# 3. Values & Definitions

Conservation is the process of understanding, safeguarding and as required,
maintaining, repairing, restoring and adapting historic property to preserve its
cultural significance.
The value based approach to conservation is an analytical method in which value
judgments have to be as objective as possible. Some of the values associated with
cultural heritage are set below.
1. Age and rarity Value
2. Architectural Value
3. Artistic Value
4. Associative Value
5. Cultural Value
6. Economic Value
7. Educational Value
8. Emotional Value
9. Historic Value
10.Landscape Value
11.Local distinctiveness
12.Political Value
13.Public Value
14.Religious and spiritual Value
15.Scientific, research & knowledge Value
16.Social Value
17.Symbolic Value
18.Technical Value
19.Townscape Value

TERMINOLOGIES USED IN
CONSERVATION
Importance of developing an understanding for standard terminology includes;

Developing a co-relation on an international level

Meaning and understanding the same things
Able to interpret international documents correctly

Anastylosis:
It is a term applied to the process of reconstructing an edifice that collapsed either
due to accidental causes or continued neglect and abandonment

Authenticity:
The authenticity of the work of art is a measure of truthfulness of the internal unity
of the creative process and the physical realization of the work and the effects of its
passage through historic times

Cleaning:
This term mostly applies to the cleaning of exterior faades, especially those
constructed in stone. For cleaning of faades various methods can be employed,
either mechanical or chemical.

Conservation
Conservation is the process of understanding, safeguarding and as required,
maintaining, repairing, restoring and adapting historic property to preserve its
cultural significance.

Consolidation:
Used for strengthening a monument to ensure its survival. It is an important tool,
but maintenance should always follow. Coliseum in Rome is one of the biggest
examples of consolidation of a monument.

Continuation:
When a cultural property manages to retain its original function from the time of its
construction to date then it is termed as continuation of use or just continuation.

Culturally Sustainable Development:

Implies development based on shared ideas, values, and the intellectual, moral, and
aesthetic standards of a community.

Groups of Buildings:
Groups of separate or connected buildings which, because of their
Architecture, their homogeneity or their place in the landscape, are of
outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science;

Integrated Conservation:
Achieved by the application of sensitive restoration techniques and the correct
choice of appropriate functions in the context of historic areas, taking into account
the plurality of values, both economic and cultural, and aiming at balanced
judgments.

Liberation:
Term used mostly for environmental operation. It means liberating a building from
later additions in order to achieve stylistic unity. It does not imply returning to the
initial stage.

Maintenance:
Taking care of a monument on a permanent basis.

Monuments:
Architectural works, works of monumental sculpture and painting, elements or
structures of an archeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings and
combinations of features, which are of outstanding universal value from the point of
view of history, art or science.

Patina:
Layer on surface of cultural property. It is considered as a trace reflecting on the life
time of the monument. The decision to clean/ clear that surface layer is a difficult
one and it should be done only if it is harming the cultural property.

Preservation:
When one deals with an entire site or area the term preservation is applied.
American terms equivalent to these are renewal or urban renewal.

Reconstruction:
Three dimensional construction of a monument based on its restitution. In this case
the original architectural edifice is not existing. It cannot be regarded as restoration
in a broader sense.

Re-functioning:
If a cultural property losses its validity of function, a new function can be introduced
to it in order to ensure its protection and regular maintenance

Reproduction:
The architectural edifice is existing at hand and its replica is produced. The purpose
may be to save the original from hazards of climatic factors.

Restoration:
Restoration means restoring a monument to its normal static and functional
condition in order to re-equip it to fulfill its original function or to fit it for a new
purpose. Restoration operations do not allow any rigid classification into categories;
each case must be considered on its own merits. American Terms: Renovation
,Remodeling.

Sites:
Works of man or the combined works of nature and man, and areas
including Archaeological sites which are of outstanding universal value from the
historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological point of view.

Traces/ Evidence:
These give clues to the buildings history and its original state. They lead you to
understand the various changes or alterations that the building undergoes during its
lifetime.

Transportation:
Taking a monument from its original position to another place in order to protect it
from danger. Transfer of whole or parts of a monument is justified only if that is the
last resort by which the monument can be saved from destruction. To carry out such
an operation the edifice should be of exceptional importance.

The Burra Charter

The Burra Charter is a national charter that establishes principles for the
management and conservation of cultural sites in Australia. It provides an example
of how international principles can be adapted to the values and needs of a
particular nation or particular cultural groups within that nation.
Definitions
The Burra Charter identifies three levels of repair for heritage structures. These are:
Preservation - Maintaining a place in its existing state and preventing further
deterioration.
Restoration - Returning a place to a known earlier state by removing accretions or
by reassembling existing elements without the introduction of new material.
Reconstruction - Returning a place to a known earlier state and is distinguished from
restoration by the introduction of new material.

The Venice Charter: International

Charter for the Conservation and
Restoration of Monuments and
Sites (1964)

The Venice Charter codifies internationally accepted standards of

conservation practice relating to architecture and sites.
It sets forth principles of conservation based on the concept of authenticity
and the importance of maintaining the historical and physical context of a
site or building.
The Venice Charter continues to be the most influential international
conservation document.
The Venice Charter states that monuments are to be conserved not only as
works of art but also as historical evidence.
It also sets down the principles of preservation, which relate to restoration of
buildings with work from different periods.

Definitions
Article 1. The concept of a historic monument embraces not only the single
architectural work but also the urban or rural setting in which is found the evidence
of a particular civilization, a significant development or a historic event.

Article 2. The conservation and restoration of monuments must have recourse to all
the sciences and techniques which can contribute to the study and safeguarding of
the architectural heritage.
Aim
Article 3. The intention in conserving and restoring monuments is to safeguard them
no less as works of art than as historical evidence.
Conservation
Article 4. It is essential to the conservation of monuments that they be maintained
on a permanent basis
Article 5. The conservation of monuments is always facilitated by making use of
them for some socially useful purpose. Such use is therefore desirable but it must
not change the lay-out or decoration of the building. It is within these limits only
that modifications demanded by a change of function should be envisaged and may
be permitted.
Article 6. The conservation of a monument implies preserving a setting which is not
out of scale. Wherever the traditional setting exists, it must be kept. No new
construction, demolition or modification which would alter the relations of mass and
color must be allowed.
Article 7. A monument is inseparable from the history to which it bears witness and
from the setting in which it occurs. The moving of all or part of a monument cannot
be allowed except where the safeguarding of that monument demands it or where it
is justified by national or international interest of paramount importance.
Article 8. Items of sculpture, painting or decoration which form an integral part of a
monument may only be removed from it if this is the sole means of ensuring their
preservation.
Restoration
Article 9. The process of restoration is a highly specialized operation. Its aim is to
preserve and reveal the aesthetic and historic value of the monument and is based
on respect for original material and authentic documents. It must stop at the point
where conjecture begins, and in this case moreover any extra work which is
indispensable must be distinct from the architectural composition and must bear a
contemporary stamp. The restoration in any case must be preceded and followed by
an archaeological and historical study of the monument.
Article 10. Where traditional techniques prove inadequate, the consolidation of a
monument can be achieved by the use of any modern technique for conservation

and construction, the efficacy of which has been shown by scientific data and
proved by experience.
Article 11. The valid contributions of all periods to the building of a monument must
be respected, since unity of style is not the aim of a restoration. When a building
includes the superimposed work of different periods, the revealing of the underlying
state can only be justified in exceptional circumstances and when what is removed
is of little interest and the material which is brought to light is of great historical,
archaeological or aesthetic value, and its state of preservation good enough to
justify the action. Evaluation of the importance of the elements involved and the
decision as to what may be destroyed cannot rest solely on the individual in charge
of the work.
Article 12. Replacements of missing parts must integrate harmoniously with the
whole, but at the same time must be distinguishable from the original so that
restoration does not falsify the artistic or historic evidence.
Article 13. Additions cannot be allowed except in so far as they do not detract from
the interesting parts of the building, its traditional setting, the balance of its
composition and its relation with its surroundings.
Historic Sites
Article 14. The sites of monuments must be the object of special care in order to
safeguard their integrity and ensure that they are cleared and presented in a
seemly manner. The work of conservation and restoration carried out in such places
should be inspired by the principles set forth in the foregoing articles.
Excavations
Article 15. Excavations should be carried out in accordance with scientific standards
and the recommendation defining international principles to be applied in the case
of archaeological excavation adopted by UNESCO in 1956. Ruins must be
maintained and measures necessary for the permanent conservation and protection
of architectural features and of objects discovered must be taken. Furthermore,
every means must be taken to facilitate the understanding of the monument and to
reveal it without ever distorting its meaning.
All reconstruction work should however be ruled out "a priori." Only anastylosis, that
is to say, the reassembling of existing but dismembered parts can be permitted. The
material used for integration should always be recognizable and its use should be
the least that will ensure the conservation of a monument and the reinstatement of
its form.
Publication

Article 16. In all works of preservation, restoration or excavation, there should

always be precise documentation in the form of analytical and critical reports,
illustrated with drawings and photographs. Every stage of the work of clearing,
consolidation, rearrangement and integration, as well as technical and formal
features identified during the course of the work, should be included. This record
should be placed in the archives of a public institution and made available to
research workers. It is recommended that the report should be published.