Reconciling Authenticity and Repair in the Conservation of Modern Architecture

Abstract

AbstractThis paper is a precis of that presented at the Modern Matters conference organized by English Heritage in October 1995. The conference, subtitled Principles and Practice in Conserving Recent Architecture, sought to address some of the current issues faced by those involved in the care and conservation of buildings from our twentieth-century cultural heritage.The present paper attempts to outline some of the apparent philosophical difficulties raised by the conservation of modern buildings, which arise largely from specific practical or physical issues. The current interest in authenticity in relation to the conservation of historic buildings is particularly relevant for buildings from our more recent past, forcing us to reassess existing principles and approaches. It is modem architecture's characteristic utilization of new technologies, together with the use of innovative materials and construction detailing, that makes the reconciliation of material and design, or aesthetic authenticity, proble...