Assessment of Construction Techniques and Material Usage in İzmir Rural Houses

The domestic architecture in the rural villages of ?zmir comprises a unique built environment with their masonry wall textures, semi-open sofas, round tiled-hipped roofs, and chimneys, and represents an important part of the cultural and architectural heritage. This assessment is mainly based on field observations that focus on the architectural and structural layout of intact, damaged, and destroyed houses. During field observation and the analysis of data certain plan typologies and relationships between the geological formations of the region and choice of materials and construction techniques were observed. While load-bearing masonry and timber skeleton systems are common, extensive use of timber laces, stone, and fired or adobe brick masonry with mud mortar and timber frames infilled with masonry materials were frequently seen. Generally, round timber elements such as wall plates, laces, lintels, posts, and frames of flooring systems are used. Architectural degenerations in authentic houses, defective details and partially due to the earthquake-prone nature of the region seismicity have been evaluated. An overall approach for the preservation and sustainability of this heritage is suggested.     

Editorial

Abstract

The Fiestas de Astures y Romanos (The Festival of Astures and Romans) is a thriving historical re-enactment performed in the town of Astorga, in north-west Spain. The objective of our research has been to explore the complex interactions between politics, the public, and heritage management, and to evaluate their impact upon archaeology as a discipline. We draw on a participant ethnography carried out during the 2011 event. The concept of ‘Celtic-Barbarian Assemblage’ enables us to understand how different usages of the pre-Roman past condition identity politics and heritage policies at the local level. Finally, we reflect upon our findings and suggest potential lines of action to tackle what we perceive to be the increasing gap between public and academic archaeology in Spain, whose long-term consequences can be detrimental for the discipline as a whole.     

Sheltering an archaeological structure in Petra A case-study of criteria,concepts, and implementation

Abstract

In 1993 an architectural competition for the construction of a shelter over a Byzantine church excavated in Petra between 1991 and 1992 was held by the American Center of Oriental Research in Amman, Jordan. While a prize was awarded, none of the concepts presented were translated into a construction project. A contract was instead awarded to architect Robert Shutler, who worked in close cooperation with Jordanian and international archaeologists and heritage managers, and a reversible space-frame shelter was built. This paper examines the issue of defining criteria for shelter construction, and stresses the need for cooperation among stakeholders and specialists as part of the conservation process from the decision to shelter to the implementation of the project.     

Integrated Design of Conservation of the Archaeological Heritage

Abstract

This article aims to establish a connection between (a) the identification of heritage and measures for its protection, and (b) the collection and dissemination of scientific information, as set out in the Treaty of Valletta. This is illustrated through research conducted at the Asklepieion of Kos, which led to an anastylosis project on the Roman temple, within a wider project to re-organize the entire area of the sanctuary. The paper highlights the development of the project, including traditional methods of direct survey (manual and digital), a database of the three-dimension models of the single architectural elements of the temple, and a CAD/CAM model of the reconstruction project.     

Curated Ruins and the Endurance of Conflict Heritage

Abstract

Architectural ruins created by bombing, artillery, and fire are a common feature of post-conflict urban and extra-urban environments, serving as stark reminders of the material impact of warfare and violence. Over time most of these ruins are either restored, demolished, or reclaimed by nature. This paper examines another, more unusual category: sites that are carefully maintained in a freshly ruined state, suggesting that their destruction was more recent than it actually was. These sites — most often configured as memorials — raise interesting questions about memorialization, conflict heritage, authenticity, ethics, and whether or not there is a ‘natural’ lifespan or lifecycle for architectural ruins. To illustrate this argument I will draw on case studies of the Frauenkirche in Dresden, Germany, and the ruins of Oradour-sur-Glane in France.     

Book reviews

Abstract

This paper explores the decision-making process for heritage management at the monastic community of Mount Athos, a World Heritage Site in Northern Greece, in relation to the concept of living religious heritage and the pursuit to balance the heritage values of both the experts (heritage professionals) and the non-experts. The function and impact of a specific heritage agency — KEDAK (Centre for the Preservation of Athonite Heritage) — designed to establish the decision-making power of the Athonite monasteries will be critically discussed. A range of interesting compromising solutions and some challenges and problems raised by the function of this agency will serve as the background for examining the extent to which different perceptions on heritage management can coexist, particularly when heritage professionals find themselves on the bottom of a top-down decision-making process.     

Classical Temples and Industrial Stores: Survey Analysis of Historic Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Precincts to Inform Urban Seismic Risk Mitigation

ABSTRACT

Oamaru, Winton, and Invercargill feature some of New Zealand’s most intact heritage precincts that are confronted by ongoing threats of seismic activity. The 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence and Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission of 2012, identified a nationwide trend through the proportion of deaths that occurred in public places as a result of the prevalent historic unreinforced masonry (URM) building stock. The reported study was undertaken to address urban safety and seismic risk mitigation through the lens of heritage conservation. The range of classically designed public buildings and industrial warehouses in the South Island of New Zealand were often produced by singular architectural practices, using locally sourced materials and construction techniques. It is vital to incorporate an examination of unique architectural qualities within urban seismic risk assessment and mitigation. Historic urban layout, architectural deployment of masonry, and extent of retrofits were recorded through onsite visual surveys via Geographical Information Systems and three-dimensional representation technologies. Extending the scope of information collected for engineering seismic risk assessment by focusing on the historical architectural context informs the selection of future mitigation measures. Oamaru, Winton, and Invercargill present intriguing case studies for multidisciplinary analysis, prior to testing urban-scale survey approaches within comparable historic centers across New Zealand.     

From verifiable authenticity to verisimilar interventions: Xintiandi,Fuxing SOHO,and the alternatives to built heritage conservation in Shanghai

ABSTRACT

The introduction of contemporary architecture into historic urban environments creates an open heritage discussion that includes the underlying relationship between development and conservation. This discussion requires theoretical clarification, as heritage conservation is frequently mistaken for other architectural design approaches that, even though they may operate within the historic environment as their primary source, do not comply with the complex definition of heritage authenticity used today. This article aimed to contribute to this debate, offering a characterization of such architectural design strategies operating through principles of verisimilitude that target authentication for tourists and the creative classes in a global city like Shanghai. Comparative studies of Xintiandi (Ben Woods, 2001) and Fuxing SOHO (Von Gerkan, Marg und Partner, 2015) provided an insight into the concepts of historic re-creation and abstract inheritance, currently used as ways of interpreting the historic residential typology of the Shanghai lilong according to the economic and political aims of the entrepreneurial model of governance. This allowed a critical evaluation of the growing attention paid to heritage in Shanghai in the last 25 years, and whether the substitution of the principle of authenticity for authentication has solved the contradictions between urban conservation and development in contemporary China.     

Special Studies: Naturally Deposited Versus Intentionally Applied Gypsum on Archaeological Materials from Harappa,Pakistan

Abstract

White deposits on archaeological vessels excavated at Harappa, Pakistan, were identified by x-ray diffraction analysis as pure gypsum. Because of the evenness and location of the layer it appeared to have been intentionally applied. But since we were aware that the site has an extreme salt problem there was a possibility that the layer was a post-depositional accretion. Through the comparison of x-ray diffraction (XRD) peak intensities and the crystal morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) it was determined that natural and intentionally calcined/hydrated gypsum could be differentiated. This study should help archaeologists and conservators distinguish burial deposits from intentionally applied gypsum on archaeological material.     

Preliminary Assessment on Seismic Vulnerability of Masonry Churches in Central Chile

ABSTRACT

The 2010 Maule Chile earthquake (Mw 8.8) caused extensive structural damage to the built heritage. In particular, the poor seismic performance of a set of unreinforced masonry (URM) churches highlighted the need to implement protective and safety strategies in order to preserve these buildings which exhibit unique constructive and typological features, as a result of a combination of Chilean and European construction cultures.

The peculiarity of this heritage and the high seismic hazard of Chilean territory have motivated the present study which aims to apply systematic procedures to assess the seismic vulnerability of these buildings. This article is of archival nature and presents a complete database generated from the geometrical, constructive, and structural characteristics of a representative stock of 106 churches located in central Chile, with the goal of proposing fragility curves to be used in seismic risk assessment. Considering variables related with geometrical, architectonic, and stylistic features, as well as damage levels for the 2010 Maule earthquake, this church sample is classified into three homogenous groups: colonial, neo-classic, and neo-gothic. Moreover, a preliminary qualitative assessment of the seismic capacity of these structures is provided using a survey and analysis of geometric indices for each of the three selected groups.     

Protecting a Cemetery in Saqqara: Site Works 1975–2009

Abstract

This article considers the varied threats to Ancient Egyptian architectural remains that have been exposed by modern excavation. A number of possible measures that counter such threats are outlined, together with the practical difficulties facing the architectural conservator working in this context. The approach taken at the New Kingdom Necropolis in Saqqara — a group of elite tombs constructed c. 1350–1250 BC — during the post-excavation phase is detailed, with an emphasis on the works carried out by the author from 2004 to 2009. This encompasses the conservation of surviving limestone relief decoration in situ, the reconstruction of missing masonry elements, and the final presentation of the site to visitors.     

Comment habiter le monde ? Michel Houellebecq architecte

ABSTRACT

In Michel Houellebecq’s criticism and novels, a scathing critique of functionalist architecture is at work. For him, this architecture seems to have become the tool by which the « market society » structures contemporary space according to it’s own demands. How, then, is it possible to inhabit the world? The architectural imagination of Houellebecq’s work is at odds with functionalism, rather deriving from impossible (such as nature) or anachronistic models (cathedrals). It is, however, possible to pinpoint a number of architectural techniques that resonate with the construction and style of Houellebecq’s novels, suggesting that—in an uninhabitable world—literature presents itself as the sole possible refuge for the author and his readers.     

Architecture is not everything: a multi-faceted conceptual framework for evaluating heritage protection policies and disputes

ABSTRACT

This paper is grounded in a rancorous debate in built-heritage studies concerning heritage policies and the disputes associated with them. Despite the seeming dominance of architectural considerations in decision-making about heritage protection, factual evidence from previous studies shows that not one, but five factors are involved, in differing doses, in the decisions made by planning bodies: architecture and design, city-planning, social considerations, economics, and property-related considerations. This paper categorizes each of these elements and frames them in a new conceptual framework. . The framework analyses the five factors from the perspectives of two prisms: support or opposition to heritage protection policies. Through a prominent case-example of Tel Aviv’s conservation plan, we then demonstrate that the new conceptual framework can be utilized to better understand the multifaceted debates – overt or covert – surrounding heritage protection. The case study and the conceptual framework suggest that although urban form and design issues are quite dominant, other non-physical considerations shape the dynamics of conflicts, practices, and policies surrounding heritage protection.     

Analysing Heritage Landscapes with Historical GIS: Contributions from problem-based inquiry and constructivist pedagogy

This article examines a practical classroom experience using GIS technologies to analyse aspects of a local heritage landscape. An inventory of historic buildings comprising architectural and construction details was revised in the field and then analysed using GIS software. Elements of the geographies of these buildings were displayed using thematic mapping and students used these maps to develop explanatory hypotheses and to suggest policy options for future management of the heritage landscape. Practically, the project demonstrated the contribution GIS can make to historical geography methods, engaged students in an externally supported research partnership working with real-world data, and suggested directions for local public policy formation. Pedagogically, the project demonstrated that historical GIS can be used effectively to shape problem-based inquiry and constructivist learning.     

Seismic vulnerability assessment methodology for slender masonry structures

ABSTRACT

Slender masonry structures such as towers, minarets, chimneys, and Pagoda temples can be characterized by their distinguished architectural characteristics, age of construction, and original function, but their comparable geometric and structural ratios yield to the definition of an autonomous structural type. These structures constitute a part of the architectural and cultural heritage. Their protection against earthquakes is of great importance. This concern arises from the strong damage or complete loss suffered by these structures during past earthquakes. Seismic vulnerability assessment is an issue of most importance at present time and is a concept widely used in works related to the protection of buildings. However, there is few research works carried out on developing the seismic vulnerability assessment tools for such structures.

This article presents a new method for assessing the seismic vulnerability of slender masonry structures based on vulnerability index evaluation method. The calculated vulnerability index can then be used to estimate structural damage after a specified intensity of a seismic event. Here, 12 parameters are defined to evaluate the vulnerability index for slender masonry structures. Implementation of this methodology is carried out in different types of slender masonry structures to develop vulnerability curves for these structure types.     

El purgatorio de un dictador: Crisis,memoria y narrativas iconoclastas

ABSTRACT

In the autumn of 2005, the museum of Vilafranca del Penedès (Catalonia, Spain) programmed a cycle of cultural events in order to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of Francisco Franco's death. Among them, the performative one-piece exhibition Listen, Franco! The Purgatory for a Dictator showed a bronze sculpted bust of the dictator (belonging to the museum collection) and invited citizens to freely participate and “tell to him” all they would have liked to say if they had had the opportunity to. The unusual shape of the event and the high level of participation made the exhibition become a media success. However, a last-day surprising performance experience—as a result of which the bust was “vandalized” or, should I better say, “re-signified”—became a source of reflection about the boundaries between preservation and transmission of cultural heritage, as well as about museums as places for collective elaboration of public memory. This case appears as a catalyzer of a cultural crisis that exploded after 2008, and a prefiguration a new exhibition around another sculpture of the dictator, which took place in Barcelona in 2016.     

The Civilisation Cards: US Army Style.

Abstract

The term ‘heritage crime’ has been recently brought into the spotlight by English Heritage — the organization tasked with protecting England’s heritage assets — and is attracting an increasing amount of attention from individuals and organizations from a range of disciplines. Heritage crime includes recognized crime types (such as arson, criminal damage, theft, and graffiti) but arguably has a greater impact on the country’s legacy for future generations because of the types of sites affected. This paper presents an initial examination of our understanding of heritage crime, and limitations to that knowledge. The paper contributes an initial typology to facilitate future interdisciplinary discussions of the problems facing heritage assets, and presents a possible route for expanding our ability to tackle this problem. Whilst this is an initial foray into the world of heritage crime, it is hoped that this paper will act as a stimulus for further discussion and action.     

Inaugural Address at Durham

Abstract

The documented gift of Kilpeck church to St Peter's Abbey (now the Cathedral), Gloucester, is taken as the starting-point for the examination of sculptural and architectural links between Gloucester and Gloucestershire churches, on the one hand, and Kilpeck and Herefordshire churches, on the other. Technical aspects of the so-called Dymock School of Sculpture emphasise its importance in the formation of the Herefordshire School. Aspects of Roman and Anglo-Saxon heritage are also considered.     

From Hand Survey to 3D Laser Scanning: A Discussion for Non-Technical Users of Heritage Documentation

Abstract

Digital technology has changed our approaches to cultural heritage documentation radically and promises to continue to bring rapid changes. Photographic and non-photographic (graphic) documentation tools are merging in one process, in which digital photographic technology is the main base. Due to digital technology, there is an increasing gap between specialist technicians and non-technical users involved in heritage documentation. 3D approaches are still not popular among users in cultural heritage. However, in order to build a bridge between the specialist and non-technical users, a dialogue between them needs to be developed, not only to discuss issues of data precision and 3D accuracy, but also visualization production systems, which can now easily be achieved by modern digital photographic technology.

This paper presents a comparative evaluation and synthesis of cultural heritage documentation methods and survey techniques currently available, focusing on the needs and requirements of non-technical users of heritage documentation. It attempts to clarify some new aspects in cultural heritage documentation and to assess the impact of current technology. The paper undertakes a comparative evaluation of the potential application of digital methods in documentation — and examines issues such as quality, accuracy, time, costs and specific skills required — from pre-electronic techniques (hand measurement) to 3D laser scanning, which today represents the most advanced technology available for measuring and documenting objects, structures and landscapes.     

The quest for a traditional style: architecture and heritage processes in a Pyrenean valley

In this article, I focus on the construction and restoration of houses in the Catalan Pyrenees, on their materiality, and specifically on the relationship between architectural and heritage processes that shapes them. I provide an analysis of how architectural forms, norms and regulations, as well as building aesthetics and materials, were transformed in the past decades following a parallel process of changes in the region. The aim is to explore the relationship between the built environment and the cultural and economic shift of the area in recent times. Drawing on extensive ethnographic research conducted in a valley of the Catalan Pyrenees, I show how the material culture, architecture and built environment evolved in close relationship to the spread of heritage discourses leading to a mutually constituting association that helped shape the elements of the new social realities.