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The 1960s and 1970s saw a marked change in the approach to built heritage conservation. From a focus on the preservation of individual buildings, attention turned to the conservation, regeneration, and reuse of entire historic districts. A key player in this process was the Belgian art and architecture historian Raymond Lemaire (1921-1997).
List of contents
Preface AcknowledgementsList of AcronymsIntroductionChapter 1 From Archaeology to ConservationA Family Legacy
Training in Theory and Practice
University EducationTraining in the Field: the CGRP and the Ministry of Public WorksBuilding a National and International Network
The Recovery of Looted ArtworksHeritage Protection in WartimeFirst Contacts with ItalyA Personal Vision of Conservation
Raymond M. Lemaire and the restauro criticoThe St. Lambert Chapel in HeverleeThe Venice Congress (1964): A Turning Point
Drafting the Venice CharterThe Founding of ICOMOSChapter II Constructing an Ideal Historic City: The Great Beguinage of Louvain (1962-1972)A Unique Context
An Exceptional 'Traditional' EnsembleA Tailor-Made ProgrammeA Flexible ScheduleA Great Freedom of ActionThe Venice Charter put to the Test of the Rehabilitation of Urban Ensembles
The Interiors: Conservation vs Comfort The Façades: A Radical RestorationThe Additions: From Contrast to IntegrationThe Public Space: A Picturesque VisionA Reflective ProcessLessons from Gustavo Giovannoni
The Historic Cities' 'Way of Being'
Chapter III Ideal vs Reality: Brussels (1967-1990)Contrasting Precedents: Brusselization and Urban Scenery (1940-1960)
Towards a Functionalist CityThe 'Sacred Blocks': An Urban SceneryThe Input of International Reflections and R.M. Lemaire
The 1960s: A Gradual AwarenessThe Quartier des Arts: A CatalystA Challenging ContextNew Methodological Tools for a New Vision
Learning from Eastern European ExperiencesRestoring the Links between People and their Built Environment'Thinning Out' and Opening the BlocksSelective Preservation'Architectural Design in an Old Urban Environment'Correcting the CityscapeTo ConcludeChapter IV Towards a Holistic ApproachR.M. Lemaire, a 'Complete Architect'
The Emergence of Integrated Conservation
The Council of Europe's Committee on Monuments and SitesNew Doctrinal InstrumentsThe Venice Charter: A Necessary RevisionBruges: A Laboratory for 'Integral Planning'From Rehabilitation to 'Retrospective Utopia'Towards Post-Modernism?ConclusionAppendix 1. Commission royale des Monuments et des Sites. Problèmes de doctrine
Appendix 2. Charte de Venise [première version]
Appendix 3. Charte internationale sur la conservation et la restauration des monuments et des sites (Charte de Venise)
Appendix 4. Charte de Venise, texte révisé
Index
About the author
Claudine Houbart, an architect and art historian, is a professor at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Liège, and heads the DIVA (Documentation, Interpretation, Valorization of Heritage) research group. She is one of the Belgian representatives on the ICOMOS Committee on Theory and Philosophy of Conservation and Restoration.
Summary
The 1960s and 1970s saw a marked change in the approach to built heritage conservation. From a focus on the preservation of individual buildings, attention turned to the conservation, regeneration, and reuse of entire historic districts. A key player in this process was the Belgian art and architecture historian Raymond Lemaire (1921–1997).
