1. • Architectural conservation is a process wherein objects of cultural significance
are maintained and prevented from being damaged through carefully planned
projects which are designed to either conserve or restore them.
• It often takes the efforts of an entire team of individuals who are familiar with
the objects to be worked upon, and this team will collectively decide on the best
course of action for an individual piece.
3. Beginning of the conservation movement
• In the early 19th century, the rise of the
industrial revolution saw the demolition of many
historic buildings to make way for new
constructions.
• This prompted the creation of the Society for
the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877 in
England, marking the beginning of the modern
architectural preservation movement.
4. As a result, in the English language, the word 'restoration' came to indicate something negative,
and, in due time, was replaced by the word 'conservation'; the movement itself became the
'conservation movement'.
Ruskin saw a historic building, painting or sculpture as a unique creation by an artisan or artist in a
specific historic context.
Age in itself contributed to beauty; the marks of age could thus be seen as an essential element in
an object, that could only be considered 'mature' in its beauty after several centuries.
Ruskin did not write a theory of conservation, but he identified the values and the
significance of historic buildings and objects more clearly than anyone before him, thus
providing a foundation for modern conservation philosophies.
To restore a historic building or a work of art, even using the methods of the historic period, and
even 'faithfully', in any case, meant much reproduction of its old forms in new material, and
therefore destruction of the unique, authentic work as mounded by the original artist, and as
weathered through time and history. Ruskin thus exclaimed in the 'Lamp of Memory' of the
Seven Lamps:
5. CULTURAL HERITAGE
• Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group
or society that is inherited from past generations.
• Cultural heritage includes tangible culture (such as buildings, monuments, landscapes, archive
materials, books, works of art, and artifacts), intangible culture (such as folklore, traditions,
language, and knowledge),
• Legal protection of cultural property comprises a number of international agreements and
national laws. United Nations, UNESCO and Blue Shield International deal with the protection of
cultural heritage.