School of Engineering

ARCH 481 Conservation of Historic Sites

Department of Architecture
Sana’a Campus Lecture # 1

” Introduction_1”
Lecturer
Arch (M.Sc)
Kahtan Mohammed Al-Hada

ARCH 481 Conservation of Historic Sites_ (Summer_2021-2022)_ L #1

Lecturer : Arch(M.Sc.) : Kahtan Mohammed Al- Hada
 Conservation
is the process by which individuals or groups of architects
attempt to protect valued buildings from unwanted change.
Conservation
Conservation is the process of looking after a place or building so as to retain
of its cultural significance.
Historic Site Architectural Conservation
describes the process through which the material, historical,
and design integrity of humanity's built heritage are prolonged
through carefully planned interventions.
The individual engaged in this pursuit is known as an
Architectural Conservator-Restorer.

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 Historic Resources:-
fall into five categories or types: buildings, sites, structures, objects, or districts.
Historic Resources Buildings:- is a construction created to Shelter human activity.
Sites:- is the location of a Significant event, occupation or activity.
Structure:- are Functional constructions usually created for purposes other than
creating human shelter.
Objects:- primarily an Artistic creation such as a sculpture, monument or statuary.
District:- is a Collection of any or all of the above which is united historically or
aesthetically.

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 Architectural Principles
Old in Architecture
Heritage in Architecture
Memory in Architecture
Authenticity in Architecture
Integrity in Architecture
Value in Architecture

ARCH 481 Conservation of Historic Sites_ (Summer_2021-2022)_ L #1

Lecturer : Arch(M.Sc.) : Kahtan Mohammed Al- Hada
 Old In Architecture
To be considered old, a property must
meet the National Register Criteria for
Evaluation held by the SHPO (State
Historic Preservation Office). This
involves examining the property’s age,
integrity, and significance.
• Age and Integrity: Is the property
old enough to be considered historic
(generally at least 50 years old) and
does it still look much the way it did in
the past?
• Significance: Is the property
associated with events, activities, or
developments that were important in
the past? Does it have the potential to
yield information through
archeological investigation about our
past?

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 Old In
Architecture

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Heritage In Architecture
Heritage is deemed to mean
those buildings, artefacts,
structures, areas and
precincts that are of historic,
aesthetic, architectural or
cultural significance and
should include natural
features within such areas or
precincts of environmental
significance or scenic beauty
such as sacred groves, hills,
hillock, etc.

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 Memory In Architecture
Most of us think of memory as a
chamber of the mind, and assume that
our capacity to remember is only as
good as our brain. But according to
some architectural theorists, our
memories are Products of our body’s
experience of physical space. Or, to
consolidate the theorem: Our memories
are only as good as our buildings.
Architecture uses human memory to
help occupants both “do” and “learn”.
Yet, what humans probably remember
most are the meaning, sense and
emotion that an environment helped
provide. Perhaps it is out of these
qualities that a truly great work of
architecture can simply help someone
make a decision or even impact a
culture.

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Authenticity In Architecture

Authenticity means being real. It

involves freedom to express one’s
natural inner motivation without the
corruption of
commercial considerations.
Real, sincere and authentic are
all offshoots of the same tree.
Good architecture should not be
like a discordant tune or scream
among harmonious tunes.
It should go straight to the point.
There is much more to a building
than what can be seen.

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 Integrity In Architecture
Integrity is the ability of a property to
convey its significance. To be listed in the
National Register of Historic Places, a location Design Setting Materials
property must not only be shown to be
significant under the National Register
Location is the place Design is the Setting is the Materials are
criteria, but it also must have integrity.
where the historic combination of physical the physical
The evaluation of integrity is sometimes a property was elements that environment of a elements that
subjective judgment, but it must always be
grounded in an understanding of a constructed or the create the form, historic property. were combined
property's physical features and how they place where the plan, space, or deposited
relate to its significance. There are seven historic event structure, and style during a
main aspects to judge the integrity:
occurred. of a property. particular
 Location period of time
 Design and in a
particular
 Setting pattern or
 Materials configuration to
 Workmanship form a historic
property.
 Feeling
 Association
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 Workmanship Feelings Association

Workmanship is the Feeling is a property's Association is the direct

physical evidence of the
Integrity In crafts of a particular culture
or people during any given
Architecture period in history or
prehistory.
expression of the
aesthetic or historic sense
in a particular period of
time
link between an
important historic event
or person and a historic
property.

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 Value In Architecture
Architectural design values make
up an important part of what
influences architects and designers
have when they make their design
decisions. However, architects and
designers are not always influenced
by the same values and intentions.
Value and intentions differ between
different architectural movements.
It also differs between
different schools of
architecture and schools of design
as well as among
individual architects and designers.

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 Architectural Heritage

ARCH 481 Conservation of Historic Sites_ (Summer_2021-2022)_ L #1

Lecturer : Arch(M.Sc.) : Kahtan Mohammed Al- Hada
 Heritage includes different forms of cultural capital ‘which embodies
the community’s value of its social, historical, or cultural dimension.
Heritage The built heritage as the buildings and monuments inherited from the past,
with a cultural or historical dimension justifying their preservation for
future generations, but also modern monuments whose symbolic or
cultural value is high: houses or buildings designed by a kind of
international Elite of Architects.
Even in this sense, heritage includes a large range of goods, whose
definition changes over time and space and depends on the variety of
dimensions (symbolic, cultural, national identity-oriented, social and
suchlike).
Therefore heritage is a Social Construction whose boundaries are unstable
and blurred.
Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today and we pass
on to future generations.
Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life
and inspiration, our touchstone, our reference point, our identity.

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Characteristics of Heritage
Firstly ,indivisibility generally
prevails: the consumption of
publicly-owned goods is a priori
identical for all consumers
provided that the monuments –
especially their façades –
represent joint, non-rival goods.
Nevertheless, congestion may
occur for overcrowded
monuments, at a risk:
degradation(decay), especially for
‘superstar’ sites or monuments
(Venice, Mont Saint Michel,
Statue of Liberty, Tower of Pisa
and so on), threatens buildings
that attract too many visitors.

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Characteristics of Heritage

Secondly, Externalities concern the

fact that heritage Constitutes a
legacy to be passed on to future
generations (Bequest value).
Heritage also confers benefits on
individual citizens, who have not
contributed to their production or
preservation.

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 Thank you
for
Your Attention

ARCH 481 Conservation of Historic Sites_ (Summer_2021-2022)_ L #1

Lecturer : Arch(M.Sc.) : Kahtan Mohammed Al- Hada