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TRAINING FOR ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERSIN CONSERVATION METHODS AND
TECHNIQUES
INTRODUCTION 2. THE DILEMMA :ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION
ln alI countries, a new realisatiori is dawning of theimportance
to our civilisation of its older city centres.ln recent years, the
increasing pace of urban changehas altered many places beyond
recognition; whileevery surviving older town has increased apace
insignificance. A new concern is today voiced by impor-tant
international bodies like ICOMOS and the Councilof Europe; and it
is right that the needs of our ancienttowns should receive the
special attention of the Inter-national Union of Architects, whose
members thismovement may deeply affect.
Fig. 1. -Boston Manor (Brentford). A hand-painted
wallpaperre-discovered during repairs.
In the latter half of the 20th century, architecturefinds itself
at a crossroads. In Britain, the professionalarchitect-designer
came with the Renaissance. Beforethis, most buildings were designed
by a master crafts-man -often a master-mason. Then the
professionalarchitect came on the scelle as a guiding
co-ordinator,increasingly pre-occupied with visual and design
con-siderations. Later of course, especially after the Indus-trial
Revolution, professional attention turned more andmore to ideas of
" taste ", and to the eclectic choiceand manipulation of
established " styles ". Then earlierin the present century, un der
the influence of move-ments like the Bauhaus, this excess of
professionalismwas in turn modified and tempered in a return to
thetrue function of the design process -the analysis
offunctional/environmental problems, the capacites ofmaterials, and
the successful solution of the one bymeans of the other. More
recently again, the architecthas become belatedly reinvolved in the
management ofthe building force, and in the co-ordination and
planningof constructional processes and trades, as for examplein
methods of critical path analysis and system-building.These changes
in professional orientation have beenreflected in the training of
architects. The old systemof practical experience backed by "
articles ", sup-plemented by academic lectures and examinations,
hasgiven place increasingly to whole-time school anduniversity
education. Part-time training and eveningcourses find themselves
officially discouraged. Tocorrect any otherwise over-academic
balance, it hasbeen found desirable in Britain to re-introduce the"
sandwich" course, in which the trainee goes fromhis school into an
approved office, between intensiveperiods of more sequestered
leaming. But the modemtrainee architect has increasingly a
university bias, andless and less contact with the craftsman on the
site,his conditions, his tools and his materials.What is the result
of this change of emphasis, and thisdecreasing contact between "
designer" and" maker " ?Can the architect still effectively absorb,
then sympathe-tically guide and control the old-fashioned crafts ?
Canhe, faced with the problerns of an old building, suc-cessfully
identify himself with his predecessors andtheir products, identify
their strengths and weaknesses,their defects and remedies, and
effectively guide thework of conservation ?
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3. SPECIALISA TION,OR COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING ?SOME DANGERSOF
OVER-SPECIALISATION
cornes nearer. The training of the conservator is largelya
question of developing a basic attitude of mind -and this should be
a part of the equipment of everyarchitect.It would not be true to
say, at least in Britain, thatthe conservation of older buildings
could ever in prac-tice be concentrated in the hands of
specially-trainedpractitioners. The owner of a building will more
likelyselect his architect from personal knowledge or trustin a
general capacity, than from analytical research andenquiry into his
particular skills for an individual job.The architect who has
repaired a house may next beasked to add a new garage, or perhaps
to design anew house entirely; and the architect who designed
ahouse is unlikely, if he did a good job, to be thoughtincapable of
restoring an ancient gazebo in the garden.The relationship between
architect and client is not oneof limited specialist servant, so
much as for interpreter ,friend and agent. There is a valuable
place for theoccasion al specialist: but the great majority of
run-of-the-mill conservation of our architectural heritage is
in
Should, in fact, the conservation of old buildingsbecome a
preserve of specialists, trained exclusivelyin traditional methods
and incapable of modern build-ing ? It need not, nor to my mind can
it, be separatedin this way. The skills of the architect are not
limitedto knowledge about differences of local or period tra-dition
or method. The architect can never again becomea purveyor of "
styles ". He above aIl is qualified toanalyse -to identfy the
problems of a site or abuilding, andto solve them in terms of the
best availableconstructional methods and materials. To make thebest
of an old building and to evoke its special qua-lities requires the
same approach as making the bestof a vacant building site. We lack,
in English, anadequate word for this process. " Exploitation "
cornessomewhere near it; the French " mise en valeur "
Fig. 2. -Boston Manor (Brentford). Decorations restored
andrequiring special care. Ornemental panel.
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balance which time has destroyed. But history cannotbe rebuilt,
nor the clock tumed back. The architectwho can re-evaluate the
assets of a situation or a struc-ture and help it to meet new
circumstances can some-times achieve more for it, by bringing it
back to lifeand use, than too historically-correct a " restoration
".
One more danger is that of preoccupation with restoringa
building to its " original" form. A consultant'sreport on an
ancient Church, in connection with whichour Firm was recently
called in to advise, started itsrecommendations section on a
sinister note. " Thereseems no reason " it said, " why this
beautiful Churchshould not be straightened completely ...Many
ofsimilar date have already been made almost as goodas new ". We in
Britain have suffered much in thepast from this kind of
over-zealous " restoration ".Hypothetical reinstatement can so
easily be a slipperyslope, leading only to out-gothicising the
Goths.Over-specialisation would be equally dangerous if anarchitect
knew only the latest techniques. The degreeof fundamental change in
the basic building crafts is
the hands of the private practitioner, in the same wayas most
normal attention to health is at first the res-ponsibility of the
family doctor. To licence a doctorwith no knowledge of the ailments
of old age wouldbe criminal. To set loose on the public an
architectqualified exclusively to design new buildings is
onlylittle less so.Another danger of over-specialisation is " death
byover-correctness ". Very many old buildings are nolonger able
usefully to serve the original purpose forwhich they were built.
The forces of social and eco-nomic change weigh heavily upon them;
and if theyare to live on, they must adapt themselves to
newpurposes and new values. Whereas an Egyptian sphynxor a Greek
temple may only be restored as such, anearly industrial mill may
have to be converted as ayouth hostel, a disused railway-station as
a warehouse,or a castle as an hotel.ln adapting and revitalising
old structures, an over-specialist conservator would be at a
disadvantage. Hemay be anxious to re-create correctly an
original
Fig. 3. -Thundersley (Essex), St. Peter. A difficult
architectural problem : a 14th-century English parish church
sympatheticallyextended by a modem nave. (Civic Trust Award,
1969).
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the MarketFig. 4. -Lavenham (Suffolk). English villagePlace
after removal of" eyesore " buildings.
[ 300 or [ 500. ln carpentry similarly, metal connectors areused
instead of old woodwork joints. Laminated constructionallows sizes
unheard -of by the traditional carpenter.
well illustrated in modern joinery. Every older crafts-man knows
with his finger-tips " what wood can do ".Many senior architects
are finding it difficult to adaptto the revolutionary new ways in
which timber can nowbe used.
This is only one material in which architects face anentirely
new vocabulary in the use of a tradition almaterial. The same could
be said of stone. Reconsti-tuted and reinforced " artificial "
stone can be cheaplyproduced. It can be cast instead of cut. It
will spandistances ridiculous in natural stone. It can even
bepre-stressed. The old-fashioned mason would be worriedat the "
unnatural " things which his material is everyday asked to do.The
craftsman is far from home, and so is the architect.He is no longer
of necessity trained in this basic sense,to know deeply and
instinctively what his materialswill do. The modern architect has
many skills whichhis predecessor lacked. He can butt-joint sheets
ofglass with mastic, in an almost invisible line. He basat bis
fingertips endless systems of light-weight par-titioning and
external curtain-walling. But he does nothave the same capacity as
his forebears to design withinthe capacity of his materials, and
within the ability ofcraftsmen.
Timber is perhaps the most readily-obtained and predictableof
veryday building materials. Centuries of dai I y use havedeveloped
a simple basic grammar of timber construction. Asany carpenter and
any joiner knows without a moment'sthought, timber is a living
material. Traditional woodwork is,for example, matched to normal
timber sizes. Joinery con-struction was always panelled to permit
natural shrinkage -especially across the grain. End grain was never
displayed,but always protected. An extensive range of woodwork
joints(from dovetailing to the tusk-tenon) was developed to
meetevery situation in the best possible way.Today, timber is used
entirely differently. It can be circum-ferentially sawn as a thin
veneer in enormous lenghs. It can bemounted on and bonded to
non-shrink materials. The qualityof seasoned hardwood one finds in
an old table-top is almostunknown in building. Timber can be sawn
into strips or groundto sawdust and reconstituted, often with
waterproof bondingagents, as chipboard, insulating board or
hardboard. Plywoodis general -sometimes unpleasantly -grooved to
echo thecffect of matchboarding. The veneered flush door is
every-where standard, while a panelled mahogany door can cost
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Thus, when the young graduate architect cornes torepair an
ancient structure, he can find hirnself lookingvery foolish, and
unable to produce naturally the archi-tectural forms which were so
irnmediate and direct aproduct of the earlier craft traditions.What
can be done to redresse this balance ? Whatspecial bias does the
conservator-architect require ?And how can this best be encouraged
through profes-sional training ?
4. SPECIFIC STUDIES IN CONSERVATION
Is it possible for young architects to continue beyondtheir
normal training, and to equip themselves withspecial extra skills,
for example, by postgraduate study ?ln Britain, it has not proved
easy to at tract enoughgraduates each year to extend by perhaps one
or twoyears their already long training. The financial awardsof
work in conservation department just do not providethe necessary
incentive to a young man, after six yearsof whole-time training, to
at tract any but the very few.Are these few enough ?Most of the
specialist work done at national level onhistoric buildings in
Britain is confined to the AncientMonuments Department of the
Ministry of Works, theInvestigators of the Ministry of Housing, and
to oneor two of the largest Councils such as London, whichcan
afford to maintain their own special Sections foradvisory services
on specialist groups of buildings. Yetd:espite wide advertising,
neither of these Departmentsis at present fully staffed. It would
seem that evenhere the need is not met. Coming to the wider ranksof
the profession concerned, for example, in the repairof ancient
Churches, it is clear thitt again there is ademand for skilled
architects and assistants, which pre-sent educational arrangements
simply do not meet. Twoor three decades ago, every practitioner was
expectednot only to have a knowledge of historical design, butto
cope more or less with the traditional crafts andtfueir
architectural implications. Since then, the advanceof " system "
building and the use of new non-traditionalmaterials has stretched
the training syllabus in newdirections, at the cost expense of this
older knowledge.To equip architects for the care of old buildings,
eitherduring or after normal training, what subjects can theybe
taught ?
Burton Constable (Yorkshire). An English bouseFig. 5.
-endangered
architect -not as an exercise in " styles " but as adeeper
education in significance and form.Teaching architectural history
in the Schools might, ithas been suggested, be linked wherever
possible notonly to the analytical study of style, but to the
practicalproblems of re-using old buildings, and of
strengtheningthem structurally and making them economically
viable.There is much to be said for this view.
(b) Collaboration in Specialist ResearchA training in research
develops the enquiring frame ofmind. Specialists include -the
photographer, thegenealogist or the archaeologist, the geologist or
thehistorian. The conservator-architect needs knowledgeto be able
to define the problems, and to discuss themintelligently with the
specialist. He needs a good work-ing relationship with his fellow
professionnals -thevaluer, the surveyor and the structural
engineer. Heneeds the ability to work as one of team, and to
colla-borate to the best effect.
(a) Historical architectureFirstly, of course, architects need a
knowledge of his-t
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(c) SurveyMuch of the success of the conservator will dependupon
his skill in intense observation and analysis." Measured drawing ",
as it was once taught in theSchools, was valuable in instilling
just this discipline :no one for decades has written a study of
historicaldetail as penetrating (albeit ill-presented) as Paley's"
Gothic Mouldings ".Survey, it may be claimed, is merely " looking
at abuilding ". But the quality of the job is entirely amat ter of
painstaking, thorough, deep and observantsearching -a searching
into exact present form andconstruction, its historical derivations
and its impli-cations for the future. As Boswell understood
hisJohnson, so the surveyor must identify himself withhis building
until he feels he knows unerringly what itwould do in any set of
circumstances. Right and wrongin architectural conservation are
rarely absolute. Asin languages, they are a mat ter of usage. The
chiefskill of the expert may be in his depth of experience,
and his ability to c;111 unerringly upon parallel examples,each
int:mately known and recalled, interrelated andapplied.This habit
of detailed and penetrating observation dis-tinguishes the expert,
and is the chief aim of aIl train-ing. It has been weIl sa id that
ski Ils of this kind canbe " caught " rather than " taught ". ln
this, individualand tutorial methods often achieve the most.ln
addition, the conservator needs a thorough know-Iedge of practical
survey techniques. The accuratemeasurement of buildings by constant
I y self -checkingmanual methods cornes first. Then follows a
know-ledge of modem measuring and recording methodssuch as
photography, photogrammetry and stereophoto-grammetry.Photography
is a basic tooI of recording, and it is saidthat " photography is a
Ianguage ". The conservator isalways his own best photographer,
since he knowsexactly what the photograph is to say. The
exactrecording of each stage of a progressive restoration or
Fig. 6 -Wotton Bouse (Buckingshamshire). Modern materials : a
wooden cornice renewed in fibreglass after dry-rot.
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Fig. 7. -Blackmore (Essex). Timber constructions: Massive oak
timbers of an English church tower, recently repaired.
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repair job is a vital link in the chain of
architecturalevidence.Photogrammetry and stereophotogrammetry are
equallyvaluable tools, useful not only in their most sophis-ticated
form, with prohibitively-expensive optical in-struments, but in
everyday simple forms like theplot ting of stonework detail in a
wall. Stereophoto-grammetry can help to re-create lost and
damagedparts of building, like the dome at our own CastleHoward,
which was accurately restored by this meansfrom old photographic
records.
(d) DiagnosisA detailed training in structural techniques and
infailures, their diagnosis and repair, is a straight-forwardmat
ter. The tradition al building trades follow thepattern of the
basic building materials. Apart from thegrowth through time of
architectural form, a thoroughgrounding in the historical
development of buildingtechnique is as essential as a knowledge of
conservationmethods. This may be covered in items such as
thefollowing :
Fig. 8. -Trinity College {Cambridge). The Wrenn
Library.Craftmanship : Wood-carving in limewood.
-Materials
Stonework : geology of building stones. Quarrying andmasonry
techniques. Static and dynamic construction,wailing, decoration and
sculpture. Weathering anddecay. RenewaI, dentistry repair, chemicaI
treatmentand the availability of replacement building
stones;Brickwork and Masonry : clay building materiaIs :bricks,
tiles and terra-cotta. TraditionaI craftsmanship,bonding, mortars,
weathering and decay, repair andrenewal;Woodwork: historical
construction. Timber types inhistory and today. Felling, conversion
and seasoning.Traditional carpentry and joinery design. Detail,
panel-ling, carving, etc. Weathering, timber pests and
fungi,methods of repair and strengthening;Roofing : historical
development. Thatching, tiling,slating, sheet metals -lead, copper,
etc. Use andfixings. Repair and renewal;Olass : history and
techniques, including stained andpainted glass and its
conservation;MetaIwork : metallurgy and development in buildings
:structural and decorative cast-iron, wrought iron, steeland
non-ferrous metals historicaily and now, and
repairtechniques;Plasterwork : development of lime and gypsum
plas-tering and of decorative work, and its repair today;Paints and
Decorations : internaI decorations, paintsand protective and
decorative finishes : methods ofconservation.
-Structural Movem/?nt, Consolidation and Repair
Foundations : movement, inequality and structuraladaptation;Live
Structure: the problems of " live " and vaultedstructures, framed
buildings and those designed to" give " like bell-towers or
affected by special loadingor vibration;Damp : the prevention and
eradication of damp andancillary disorders;Pire Precautions : means
of prevention, detection andarrest. Structural discontinuity, and
legal provisions forthe escape of occupants, lightning conductors,
installa-tions, etc.
-Special Studies
Gardens and Landscape : historical development, gar-dening and
management;Bell Ringing : bell-frames, ringing techniques,
castingand bell-care;Furniture : co-operation with repair
specialists;Wallpaintings : history and conservation;Management:
houses open to the Public, Museums, dis-play, taxation, staffing,
daily maintenance and security.
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Fig. 9. -Lavenham (Suffolk). An English village du ring
improvement. Once marred by overhead wires; wires now
reinstatedunterground.
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replacement of expended materials, and especially inthe
conservation of v,uable original detail, like carvedstonework and
stained glass.
(e) Office and Site ExperienceA practical office and site
experience is of great valuein training. It should cover several
forms of work,e.g. : Experience in manual work
Actually handling materials on the site will help anyarchitect
to see every-day problems of organisation,labour difficulties,
weather and programming by whicha contractor is faced. Much
misunderstanding wouldbe avoided if every architect had experience
of thiskind.
Experience in restorationThe full restoration of a monument to
its original formis a task calling for special accuracy and
detailed know-ledge. It includes detective work in historical
researchand adept translation into modern materials.
Experience in conversion workAdapting buildings to new needs
calls for the analysisof its practical assets and debts, and their
reorganisationto the best effect. Modem services such as
electricity,heating and lifts will bring special problems.
Communication -report and specificationsBut observation cans for
another skin -that of com-munication. Able sllfvey presupposes a
subsequentability to convey information, in written or verballyas
in a report. Yet j'ew architects in fact possess thisability
trained in high degree. It is one thing to conectthe facts ,and
another to be able to marsha1, interrelateand re-present then in a
balanced form for any specificpurpose. Methods win differ. One way
of describing
Experience in maintenance workThe day-ta-day care af buildings
such as Churches andCathedrals is a valu able abject lessan in the
phased
Fig. 10. -Wotton House (Buckinghamshire). An Englishhouse
recently saved from demolition.
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a building is by a sequential record of its
historicaldevelopment. Another is by a verbal perambulation,like a
guided tour. Comment on actual or potentialmerits and faults may
fall within this description, ormay follow. The Report furthermore
must be matchedto those who will read it. It must distinguish
andpursue its purpose whether to bring about a morebalanced
appreciation, or to assess defects and remedies,or to make
suggestions for adaptation to changing cir-cumstances. AlI this
calls for a good deal of trainingand experience.The communication
of instructions to builders andcraftsmen is next of supreme
importance. Conservationwork requires specification-writing of the
highest order.The architect must stipulate the exact materials
andmethods, and envisage in intimate detail the sequenceof actual
building operations, the actual trades available,and their most
economic use. He needs good archi-tectural judgement in
distinguishing, ever what may oneday be significant, and must
provide for endless unseencontingencies.
Organisation and cost controlMoney for conservation is short.
lndeed, too muchmoney can even be an embarrassment, and a
temptationto renew too much original work, with a consequentloss of
character. Cost control in conservation workis the special,
practical science of job management.Accurate estimating is
difficult : and the architect mustbe able to work within a
budget.Architectural values are virtually as important asmoney.
High on the list is the retention of originalcharacter. Once again,
this may be irreplaceable. Manyfine buildings throughout the world
have been destroyedby over-restoration. One thinks of fine houses
open tothe public, with a dining-table but without any
dining-chairs -an atmosphere of inhumanity and unreality.But as a
dentist stops each individu al tooth, so theidentity of the stones
and beams of a building can begiven a maximum of life.Relative
urgencies of different repair elements may bea mat ter of sheer
deterioration and its arrest. " Gallop-ing " decay increases at
compound interest, and the
Fig. 11. -Blanchland {Northumberland}. An English
villagerecently surveyed and now under repair .
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Fig. 12. -Belchamp Otton. A typical English country church,
before and after interiors repairs.
Above all this is so in contract administration, sitesupervision
and cost control; and these are the fieldsin which the real battle
is won or lost.
5. Training in town planning
Not only in Europe, but in the Middle East and inAmerica, the
conservation of ancient towns, historicareas and groups of
buildings is becoming a newscience, with methods of its own. In
Britain, this hasbeen recognised in the commissioning of special
pilotstudies on behalf of the Minister of Housing, designedto
develop new and adequate techniques of town surveyand conservation.
Actual pilot rehabilitation schemesare a natural next step, and
these are already beingundertaken on a wide and successful scale in
France.In Britain again, the Civic Amenities Act now providesfor
the designation of Conservation Areas, for con-servation and
enhancement. Here a careful and rea-listic evaluation of the facts
is essential, especially in
emergency patching of a leaking gutter may decidethe future of a
building. Self-increasing defects claimfirst attention: but they
may be in accessible. Someelements are less predict1ible in cost
than others; andit may be logical to deal first with those whose
costis least known, holding back the more readily mea-sured and
costed items until the whole budget can beapportioned.Methods of
cost control vary considerably. Some archi-tects are too
pessimistic -most are too optimistic.The job then creeps and
escalates in cost -sometimesout of aIl recognition. The best aim is
to allocatebudget elements from experience, working within thesein
a self-correcting allocation of available funds. Butit is very bard
to expect any newly graduated architectto have the " feel " for
costs in such a highly deve-loped degree. The more one thinks of
the contrastbetween academic and practical experience, the moreone
sees how essential is the latter, and how difficultit is to train
the sheepdog without an olderdog to guide.
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large and diverse areas of attractiveness and character.These
surveys and these schemes will calI for a greatdeal of professional
expertise. Techniques of surveyinclude not only traffic and
commercial enquiries butarchitectural/historical and townscape
surveys, and theindividual and relative evaluation, indoor and out,
ofhundreds of older buildings.Town survey and enhancement is in
fact an inter-professional discipline, in which the best results
areobtajned by teamwork. The best rapport is reacbedwhen
postgraduate courses draw together differentdisciplines in a
single, combined training. This basonly rarely been possible: a
comparable example inBritain was the School of Planning and
Research andDevelopment, wbich largely under the influence
ofex-service grants achieved so much during and justalter the War.
Would it not be an international effortto establish a Course on
such a model, directed at thetraining of the urban conservation
teams ? In Londonand Rome, Ankara and Columbia, valuable
courses,
by scholarship and otherwise, are already being run
forarchitects, for ancient buildings. It would be a shortstep to
extend these to the wider social, economic andtraffic problems of
towns; and it would seem a worthyaim of the International Union of
Architects to promoteand sustain this movement by every practical
means.
There is so much to be shared in a world-wide ex changeof views
and methods, in the conservation of our inter-national heritage of
culture and environment, andespecially of
architecture.Architectural training in the U.K. is c0--ordinated
bythe Board of Education of the R.I.B.A. There are33 recognised
Architectural Schools : some of theseoffer facilities for students
to specialise in their lateryears of training.Under the Lethaby
Scholarship, the Society for theProtection of Ancient Buildings
trains 2 graduates eachyear, and also runs Refresher Courses of 1
weekannually.
Fig. 13. -Trinity College (Cambridge). The Wrenn
Library.Currently under repair (1969).
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Fig. 14. -Kedleston Hall (Derbyshire). An English " Statelyhome"
under repair.
A specialist postgraduate Course of 2 years is now heldat the
Institute of Archaeology in the University ofLondon. The Standing
Joint Conference for the Recruit-ment and Training of Architects
promotes IntroductoryDay Courses for Students.Many historic
buildings in the U .K. are in privateownership : others are owned
by the Nation. TheOovemement and larger Local Authorities have
specialArchitectural Departments in charge of historic build-ings.
Oovemment Orants are available to privateowners, who generally
commission private architectsand building contractors. So do
Churches, each ofwhich must be inspected every 5 years.Four
Historic Towns CUath, Chester, Chichester andYork) are currently
the subject of specialist PilotReports commissioned by the
Oovemment.
David INSALL,International Union of Architects
(London).
Fig. 15. -Came House (Do!set). A 19th-century
conservatory.Recently repaired in modern materials.
Fig. 16. -Boston Manor (Brentford). A house restored nearLondon
and reopened by H.M. the Queen Mother (1962).
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RESUME
SPECIALISATION DES ARCHITECTES QUELQUES RECOMMANDATIONS
La Socit impose aux architectes trois niveaux dis-tincts de
connaissance et de savoir-faire professionnels,Il y a, tout
d'abord, le niveau terre--terre de cequ'on pourrait appeler
l'architecte-praticien, qui, toutcomme le mdecin de fami/1e, est
gnralement le pre-mier examiner le malade et aura donc besoin
deconnaissances tendues lui donnant un jugement qui-libr, Il doit
savoir valuer et analyser /' tat de sant d'un difice existant,
compte tenu de ses conditions devie et des services qu'on peut lui
demander de rendre,et doit savoir effectuer des traitements simples
et appor-ter des remdes immdiats, y compris au moyen
d'inter-ventions chirurgicales simples,Ensuite, tous les pays ont
besoin d'architectes dont lesconnaissances sont plus approfond:es
parce que plusspcialises. L'architecte spcialiste (par exemple,
dansle domaine des difices historiques) peut faire appel une
exprience pratique plus riche dans un champ d'ac-tivit plus troit.
Il saura, par exemple, obtenir d'unmaon occup rejointoyer une faade
en pierre et y pratiquer des injections qu'il n'tale pas son
mortiercomme s'il beurrait des toasts. Il sait jusqu' quel pointil
peut s'attaquer un cancer sans tuer le malade.Il existe, enfin,
l'expert hautement spcialis qui seconsacre un aspect dtermin des
diffrents problmesde la construction. Ses connaissances seront
encore plusapprofondies et plus troites que ce/les de /'
architectespcialiste, et peuvent tre le rsultat d'une
exprienceacquise dans de nombreux pays diffrents, S'il
croitconnatre compltement son domaine, il se trompe; maisc'est
pourtant lui qui pourra apporter la contributionla plus grande,
avec le degr de dtail voulu, en matirede peinture murale, par
exemple, ou de rforme litur-
gique des diffrentes glises, ou d'excution de relevsde zones
historiques et de leur rnovation.Or, chaque chelon de cette
spcialisation de nou-veaux besoins sont remplir l'heure actuelle et
denouvelles possibilits sont exploiter .Dans le cas de l'architecte
praticien , une impor-tance accrue devrait tre accorde, dans la
formationprofessionnelle courante, aux techniques traditionnellesdu
btiment, qui en fait ne servent plus pour la cons-truction actuelle
de tous les jours. Le meilleur moyend'acqurir ce genre de
connaissances est l'expriencedirecte des travaux de rfection. Dans
ce domaine,l'UNESCO pourrait aider en insistant auprs des
asso-ciations professionnelles des pays membres pour qu'ellesse
penchent spcialement sur la question.Quant aux architectes
spcialistes, ceux dont le domaineest la conservation des difices ou
un sujet analogue ,ils ont besoin dans l'immdiat de pouvoir
profiter debourses d'tudes et de cours de formation plus nom-breux
et amliors, dans le genre de ce qu'offrent lesexcellents
programmes-pilotes rcemment institus Londres et Rome et, tout
dernirement, en Colombieet Ankara" Un financement plus gnreux doit
tretrouv pour ses cours, qui ont besoin d'tre plus gn-ralement
reconnus, de manire ce que les diplmes quiles sanctionnent confrent
un plus grand prestige.L'UNESCO peut ici la fois apporter une aide
directeet appuyer toutes les dmarches qui pourront tre faitesauprs
des grands fonds internationaux, de mme qu'ellepeut promouvoir la
mise en commun des sources d'exp-rience pratique, dan.l" le but
d'largir les connaissancesde chacun.
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Enfin, les experts hautement spcialiss pourront tirerun profit
considrable de l'change l'chelle inter-nationale d'ides et de
connaissances, l'occasion detravaux tels que la restauration des
glises toscanes, laquelle nous assistons. L'exposition de 1968
organise Pistoia contient, en effet, de nombreux documents
quipourraient utilement tre condenss et reproduits, voiremme publis
par le Centre de Rome, moyennant un
largissement de son programme de publications. Unfilm
international prsent la tlvision produirait, parailleurs, une
impression exceptionnelle, mme si sa pro-jection ne dpassait pas un
quart d'heure. Nous espronsqu'il pourra s'avrer possible de raliser
un tel projet,de manire faire partager par d'autres
l'expriencespciale acquise par nos htes, htes que nous
tenonsaujourd'hui remercier si chaleureusement.
Fig. I. -Boston Manor. Tapisserie de papier peint la
mainretrouve en cours de restauration.
Fig. 2. -Boston Manor. Panneau dcoratif restaur avecgrande
attention.
Fig. 3. -Thundersley, St-Pierre. Problme architectural dlicatde
l'adjonction d'une nef moderne l'glise paroissiale duXIVe
sicle.
Fig. 4. -Lavenham. La place du village aprs la disparitionde
btisses gnantes.
Fig. 5. -Burton Constble, Une demeure anglaise menace.
Fig. 6. -Wotton Bouse. Un matriau nouveau: corniche debois
vermoulue refaite en fibre de verre.
Fig. 7. -Blackmore. CQnstruction en bois: charpenterie enchne
massif de la tour de l'glise, rcemment remise en tat.
Fig. 8. -Cambridge, Trinity College, bibliothque de Chr.Wenn.
Artisanat: sculpture dans le bois.
Fig. 9. -Lavenham. Village anglais, avant et aprs la
posesouterraine des fils.
Fig. 10. -Wotton House. Une demeufe sauve rcemmentde la
destruction.
Fig. II. -Blanchland. Village anglais rpertori rcemmentet en
cours de restauration.
Fig. 12. -Belchamp Otton. Intrieur typique d'glise rurale,avant
et aprs restauration.
Fig. 13. -Cambridge, Trinity College, bibliothque de Chr.Wrenn.
Projet de remise tn valeur (1969).Fig. 14. -Kedleston Hall. Home en
cours de restauration.
Fig. 15. -Came House. Conservatoire du XIXe sicle, res-taur avec
des moyens modernes.
Fig. 16. -Boston Manor. Demeure remise en tat et rouverteen
1962.
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