Historic buildings are an integral part of the history and heritage of an area, whether it be a large city or a small country village.
Two important questions any architect must ask themselves when they are designing in an already established area are:
1. How to restore a historic building that pays homage to it while recognising the diversity of the area it is in.
2. How to design new buildings that either complement or contrast the nature of the surrounding area while also investing in it.
These two questions are not easy to answer and may change throughout the design and build of any building. Many will adhere to the Venice Charter of 1964, which lays down the principles of conservation and restoration of historic buildings.
However, there are architects and designers who don’t subscribe to the charter. They believe we should take principles and finishing details of historic designs and recreate that now with modern technology. They do so at the risk of creating what might be considered a poor reproduction of what was intended. This happens because modern methods of construction are so accurate that you lose a level of authenticity that comes with artisan making where there are microdifferences in the construction.
Similar problems occur when modern additions are made to a historical building. The juxtaposition of new and old doesn’t always date that well. Coventry Cathedral, for example, was bombed in the Second World War and rebuilt in the 1950s and 60s. At the time the design was avant-garde and contemporary but now it appears very dated. This is the risk of anything that is intended to be iconic – it automatically dates.
Where it goes wrong
When designing and constructing with heritage in mind there are two areas where the end product can end up being unsympathetic to the existing heritage.
The first is when not enough thought goes into the whole process of design and build. For example, a good architect designs a scheme that is holistic in terms of the surrounding environment. They then deliver it to a developer and elements of it are watered down through the value-engineering process. Rapid construction methods, large areas of very thin render, which can lead to cracking and discolouration and windows that are small so a U value for heat loss can be achieved are all examples of where this can happen. Cutting corners here can devalue the building as well as the surrounding area.
The second is when too much goes into the aesthetic reconstruction without thought for the infrastructure behind it. The Houses of Parliament is a good example here. The entire original Victorian Commons Chamber was destroyed in WWII. It was brought up to modern standards on restoration and rebuilt exactly as it was before it was destroyed – which was what was felt to be right at the time. In other areas, however, extensions have been built with timber stud partitions and drop ceilings with removable panels, elements that are completely unsympathetic to the overall heritage. If you are going to restore, you have to do it all, internal structure as well as external.
How to do it well
It’s incredibly expensive to get a restoration completed to perfect standards. The ideal would be to have quality and design equal to cost but of course, this is not always possible, given funding and safety restrictions.
“…not every building has to be iconic!”
Being mindful of the balance between designing and developing new buildings that incorporate new ideas as well as being sympathetic to the surrounding environment is an artform in itself. Design rules may apply – in conservation areas for example – or you may be creating a new design while paying respect to the surrounding area. Designs will nearly always be constrained by access, size of plots, the planning departments and how you commercialise and make that space financially viable.
Consideration of the interaction between old and new means choosing whether your design should reflect the surrounding buildings or be a fresh new look in a place that needs regeneration. The ground in between, where it’s trying to do a bit of both, is unsteady and can lead to cheap-looking buildings.
And finally, it’s important to remember that not every building has to be iconic! Some have to be quiet and respectful.
“Being mindful of the balance between designing and developing new buildings… is an artform in itself.”