2-3. Design Strategies

In my thesis, the basic architectural preservation attitude to design strategies will be based on "Architecture in existing fabric" by Johannes Cramer and Stefan Breitling. In the book, they categorize four different design strategies. An architect may use one of four design approaches, or a mix of them, to produce a new design when working with an existing structure or building.

1. Corrective Maintenance

2. Modernisation

3. Adaptation

4. Replacement

Corrective Maintenance

Adaptation

Original

Modernisation

Replacement

1. Corrective Maintenance

"Maintenance works can include restoration, the purpose of which is to stabilize and improve the condition of damaged fabric, as well as conservation." 12 Restoration is always regarded as the last resort in various artistic fields, from the famous slogan Georg Dehio's "Conserve, do not restore." to John Ruskin's writing in The Seven Lamps of Architecture, "They are not ours. They belong partly to those who built them, and partly to all the generations of mankind who are to follow us."13 People are scared that restoration will cause the most complete ruin to a building. However, reasonable restoration of monuments will not only destroy their original historical and aesthetic value but can instead preserve them. Control Yuan as an example, founded in 1915, was originally the Taipei State Hall in the Japanese Occupation Period. It was designed by Matsunosuke Moriyama. It is currently the most intact preserved Westernstyle building in Taiwan. Due to frequent earthquakes and heavy rain, the building structure has cracks, water leakage, and spalling. This restoration project aims to maintain the structural safety of historical sites.

2. Modernisation

"For the architect in the first instance, it entails adapting the existing building to the requirements of modern infrastructure." 14 According to the book, modernization is more focused on upgrading the facility and adapting to nowadays surrounding without major changes. One example from the book is Palazzo to a museum in Venice designed by Carlo Scarpa. In this case, the client asked to develop a solution for the ground floor rooms and garden which were subject to flooding. Scarpa began by increasing the building's circulation by designing an elaborate and precise insertion that replicates, among other things, Venice's boat entrance channels. From this case, it is clear to see how modernization applies to the building. Without significant changes in the building and structures, but revitalize the building to the modern society.

3. Adaptation

"adaptation is generally characterised by a change in the character of the building as a result of a change of use or fundamental building works." 15 According to the definition in the book, adaptation is to change the character of the building itself and to introduce new uses without changing the original architectural form. Take Kruisherenhotel Maastricht as example. The construction was completed around 1520. As a church until 1797, it was called up as a barracks and warehouse during the French Revolution. It was restored at the beginning of the 20th century and later used as a temporary church and agricultural research. At the end of 2000, the church was acquired by the hotel group. Now in operation as a luxury hotel, most of the building's space has been completely reserved, but overall reprogramming has been carried out. Another way of thinking of adaptation is been mentioned here which is conversion. "the conversion of a building involves making sometimes significant changes to the building substance but respects its overall volume." 15 When an existing structure no longer functions as it once did, is abandoned as ruins, or has little historical significance as a constructed artifact, this technique is typically used, allowing for more active architectural involvement such as structural alteration and partial demolition. One example is the Kolumba Museum in Germany. It showed the coexistence between old and new. Museum once to be a late-Gothic church but it becomes ruined during World war II. The architect Peter zumthor combined the facade of the part of the original with the new materials, extending the memory and integrating it into the modern, forming a kind of ingenious relationship.

4. Replacement

"In such cases there is usually no sensible alternative but to demolish the building, taking care to dispose of its materials ecologically. Whether one decides to save a particular element, either for nostalgic reasons, or to incorporate it into a new replacement building is a matter of personal preference." 16 In this chapter, the authors mentioned that to a certain extent, the building is irretrievable. In this situation, reconstruction or retaining elements are all under the framework of replacement. The author cited the Frauenkirche in Dresden. After the destruction of World War II, Germany decided to completely repair the city's buildings. "However, the new Frauenkirche in Dresden is not the product of Georg Baer and his master craftsmen, but of their 21st-century counterparts." 17 Of course, the reconstruction taken by people because of nostalgia or regret for the loss is understandable, but at the same time, it may also show distrust of modern architecture.

From these examples, they represented four different methodologies to conserve and preserve. Even four of them choose to revitalize the space, but the results are different due to the cultural and architectural uses. ”They believe in the inner values of art, its ability to make us think and feel, its spiritual values. This project emerged from the inside out, and from the place,” explained Zumthor at the museum opening18. As Zumthor said, architectural preservation should make people think and feel its meaning and value, and this is also the greatest significance of architectural preservation.