CONS506 DESIGN IN ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION

Course Objectives

This course is designed to cover the basic aspects of the conservation and restoration of a historic building.

The major objective of the course is to provide knowledge on:

• documentation of a single historic building
• interpretation and evaluation of a single historic building
  
  • understanding the current use, structure and materials of the building
  • understanding the structural problems, materials deterioration and alterations in the building 
  • understanding the values of the building
  • understanding the opportunities and potentials of the building

• preparing a conservation and restoration project of the building 

Course Content

Preparation of a conservation and restoration project for individual historic building(s). Survey of a historic building by means of various techniques and instruments; analysis and evaluation the historic building according to different aspects; preparation of restitution project; and design of a conservation and restoration project.

Course Learning Outcomes

The course study has mainly four stages; which are the pre-survey, documentation-analysis, evaluation and restitution and the preparation of a restoration project including conservation interventions.

In addition to the methodology of the study, the pre-survey stage also covers the bibliographical research on the historic building which is selected in general and archival research (foundation charters, building inscriptions, travelers accounts, old photographs and maps) for the identification of historical aspects, architectural features and problems of the selected historic building which are utilized in the latter stages of the design studio.

The second stage starting with the field survey aims to give a comprehensive understanding of the methods and techniques of the measured survey; graphical, visual, verbal documentation of the building and its nearby environment. In this framework, besides the architectural documentation (in 1/200, 1/50, 1/20-10-5-1 scales), the structural and material properties, construction techniques of the building and their deterioration are identified by visual analyses. During the field survey, several buildings are also surveyed in the nearby environment for the comparison and evaluation of the building with similar building types. In the third stage, aiming to identify the historical periods of the building and interventions; the restitution project of the selected building is prepared based on the clues coming from the building itself as well as historical research and comparative study.

In the restoration stage, which aims to conserve the historical building as a cultural property; the students are expected to prepare individual conservation and restoration project by understanding the values, problems, and potentials of the historic building. The restoration projects vary from structural consolidations proposing a minimum intervention to the building, to partial or extensive repairs and completion of the lost architectural and structural features of the building.