Conservation of Modern Architecture

The importance of protecting significant buildings from decay and destruction would seem to be undeniable. Yet whilst the majority of buildings of merit constructed before the Second World War have been highlighted as worthy of protection there is much indifference, and in some cases hostility towards many important post-war buildings. These deserve to receive wider formal recognition but in many cases continue to be mistreated or even demolished.This book examines many of the philosophical and practical issues surrounding the conservation of modern buildings and also the problems faced by building practitioners in dealing with buildings constructed in a wider range of styles and materials than at any other time. Climate change in particular has forced change in the way in which we think about buildings, with the pressures to address issues of energy efficiency becoming more urgent and likely to have consequences that may alter the perceived architectural and historic interest of modern and traditional buildings alike.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Bob Kindred; Points of Balance: Patterns of Practice in the Conservation of Modern Architecture John Allan; Conservation Values, Climate Change and Modern Architecture: The Case of the CIS Tower John Hudson; Yale University Art Gallery, Louis I. Kahn: Challenges for the Rehabilitation of Modern Museum Buildings Lloyd L. DesBrisay; The Billiet House, Bruges: Reconstruction of a Colour Scheme Ann Verdonck; Harry Seidler and the Legacy of Modern Architecture in Australia: An Interview with Penelope Seidler Susan Macdonald; The Greenside Case: Another One Bites the Dust Dennis Sharp; Challenges in Protecting 1960s Architect-Designed Houses Scott Robertson; ICOMOS: Twentieth Century Heritage International Scientific Committee Sheridan Burke; Docomomo International: Modernity as Heritage Anne-Laure Guillet; Docomomo-UK: Questions of Assessment James Dunnett; Living in the Brunswick Centre: A Personal Account Stuart Tappin.