Abstract
It is easy to assume that historic environments consist mainly of traditional pre-modern style buildings; however, contemporary architecture is continuously added to historic environments, and its construction is positively encouraged by international heritage organizations such as UNESCO and ICOMOS. The conditions required for introducing contemporary architecture to historic urban environments manifest through the concept of contextual compatibility. This paper examines the meaning and operation of this compatibility in changing urban historical and cultural environments. It offers an empirical interpretation of ‘compatibility’ using three new conceptual parameters: the level of conservation value and importance designated by the heritage conservation system (heritage intensity), the ratio of contemporary architecture in a historic environment (context density), and the range of controlling measures available for conservation (regulation degree). Based on a content analysis of the relevant literature and a case study of 24 sample sites, this paper illuminates how ‘compatibility’ operates in the field, which sometimes contradicts our common assumptions. The notable findings reveal that heritage intensity and context density in the historical environment are not directly proportional to regulation degree. Meanwhile, low context density tends to correspond with highly detailed regulations and emphasise the physical realization of traditional elements.
Highlights
Building contemporary architecture in historic urban environments is accepted as an act of necessity for maintaining people’s daily lives and their urban ecosystem
The core conditions required in discussions on contemporary architecture in the historic urban environment converge on characteristics, such as their ‘contextual compatibility’ with the identity of the historic urban landscapes [6,7]
Contemporary buildings are constantly constructed within existing historical contexts, creating parts of new historic urban landscapes
Summary
Building contemporary architecture in historic urban environments is accepted as an act of necessity for maintaining people’s daily lives and their urban ecosystem. ‘Contextual compatibility’ requires consideration of the broader urban context and its geographical setting, such as the site’s topography, geomorphology, hydrology, natural features, historic and contemporary building environment, land use patterns, spatial organisation, perceptions, and visual relationships, among other elements of the urban structure. It includes social and cultural practices and values, economic processes, and the intangible dimensions of heritage in relation to diversity and identity [5]. By empirically explaining the relationships among the three parameters, this paper helps us to understand the actual operation of contemporary architecture’s compatibility in historic urban environments
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