Heritage

Conservation
A N I N T RO D U C T I O N
 conservation property
heritage movability
restoration
resource
preservation
historical
cultural
tangibility built heritage
heritage
inherit
inheritance
 resource cultural vs historical
(sites, structures, natural vs man-made
heritage objects, etc.) movable vs immovable
property tangible vs intangible
Built Heritage
∙ cultural: San Sebastian Basilica in Manila
∙ historical: Quezon Memorial in Quezon City
∙ man-made: buildings, structures, monuments
∙ immovable: as opposed to installations,
objects, artifacts
∙ tangible
BUILT HERITAGE

Architectural Heritage
(buildings and structures)
Architectural Heritage Conservation
 conservation

restoration adaptation
preservation protection
reconstruction
Cultural Heritage
∙ the entire corpus of material signs – either artistic or symbolic
– handed on by the past to each culture and, therefore, to the
whole of humankind
∙ a constituent part of the affirmation and enrichment of
cultural identities as a legacy belonging to all humankind
∙ gives each particular place its recognizable features and is the
storehouse of human experience
Conservation
∙ the action taken to prevent decay and manage change
dynamically
∙ embraces all acts that prolong the life of cultural and natural
heritage, the object being to present to those who use and look
at historic buildings with wonder the artistic and human
messages that such buildings possess
why
Why do we conserve?

∙ Conservation satisfies needs:

∙ Cultural resources: subliminal human needs
∙ Natural resources: basic human needs
sustainability
Values in Conservation
Emotional Values Cultural Values Use Values
• Wonder • Documentary • Functional
• Identity • Historic • Economic
• Continuity • Archaeological • Social
• Spiritual • Aesthetic • Educational
• Symbolic • Architectural • Political
• Townscape • Ethnic
• Technological
Ethics of Conservation
∙ The condition of the building must be recorded before any
intervention.
∙ Historic evidence must not be destroyed, falsified, or removed.
∙ Any intervention must be the minimum necessary.
∙ Any intervention must be governed by unswerving respect for
aesthetic, historical, and physical integrity of the property.
∙ All methods and materials used during treatment should be
documented.
The Philippine Context
Stakeholders of Heritage

∙ government / public sector

∙ business / private sector
∙ non-profit / social sector
∙ scholastic / academic sector
Heritage is for everyone.