Monument as document: fundamentals of conservation

MONUMENT AS DOCUMENT

Fundamentals of conservation

Andrea Canziani (PLN Project Foundation + DOCOMOMO ISC Education & Training)

This lesson will be about the significance of material authenticity in any choice related to the preservation of cultural heritage (CH) and about the ability to read the building as a source of data for the conservation project.
A building recognised as part of our CH is both a document and a monument. The building itself must be considered as primary cognitive source from which to derive the conservation variables and design tools adopted during any conservation/design process. As a document it is only valuable if the material substance is preserved.

We may consider the existence of three type of authenticity: authenticity of materiality, authenticity of setting/location and authenticity of use, as parameters for assessing the success of conservation projects on CH.
The concrete and the structure must be investigated to determine their condition, to determine whether the concrete can be retained, and to develop repair options and strategies. Within this investigation, the value of authenticity is a primary aspect. The material authenticity has a close connection with our acknowledgment of the importance of being able to read the building as the most proper evidence of its history. The key method is the architectural archaeology, that encompasses history, stratigraphical analysis of construction and building phases. The stratigraphic-constructive method can be considered the basis of preservation as the “art of keeping” and transmitting the legacy of CH.