The Evolution of Urban Heritage Conservation and the Role of Raymond Lemaire (Planning, History and Environment Series)

Houbart, Claudine

Routledge（2024/08発売）

• 製本 Hardcover:ハードカバー版／ページ数 298 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9781032588933
• DDC分類 363.69

Full Description

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), yet beyond those in conservation circles few people know of his work and influence or even recognize his name.

In this book, Claudine Houbart traces how the change came about and the role played by Lemaire. She describes his work and influence and in so doing provides a history of urban conservation over the last four decades of the twentieth century and beyond. The first chapter summarizes Lemaire's background from his training during the Second World War and his work as a Monuments Man immediately after the war, to his role in the drafting of the Venice Charter and his appointment as Secretary General of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites). The next chapter describes the rehabilitation of Great Beguinage in Louvain. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the project was directed by Lemaire and is a perfect example of the restoration of an entire district. The following chapter provides case studies of his work in Brussels, demonstrating his methodology in action. The final chapter discusses the transposition of the model of the historic city to urban projects and summarizes Lemaire's influence on heritage conservation today, particularly integrated conservation. His participation in drafting key conservation documents sponsored by the Council of Europe, UNESCO and ICOMOS, and his desire to revise the Venice Charter are discussed. The book's conclusion reflects on what has gone before, ending aptly with Lemaire's own words 'the past, properly understood, is one of the references for judging the value of today and tomorrow'.

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

List of Acronyms

Introduction

Chapter 1 From Archaeology to Conservation

A Family Legacy

Training in Theory and Practice

University Education

Training in the Field: the CGRP and the Ministry of Public Works

Building a National and International Network

The Recovery of Looted Artworks

Heritage Protection in Wartime

First Contacts with Italy

A Personal Vision of Conservation

Raymond M. Lemaire and the restauro critico

The St. Lambert Chapel in Heverlee

The Venice Congress (1964): A Turning Point

Drafting the Venice Charter

The Founding of ICOMOS

Chapter II Constructing an Ideal Historic City: The Great Beguinage of Louvain (1962-1972)

A Unique Context

An Exceptional 'Traditional' Ensemble

A Tailor-Made Programme

A Flexible Schedule

A Great Freedom of Action

The Venice Charter put to the Test of the Rehabilitation of Urban Ensembles

The Interiors: Conservation vs Comfort

The Façades: A Radical Restoration

The Additions: From Contrast to Integration

The Public Space: A Picturesque Vision

A Reflective Process

Lessons 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 City

The 'Sacred Blocks': An Urban Scenery

The Input of International Reflections and R.M. Lemaire

The 1960s: A Gradual Awareness

The Quartier des Arts: A Catalyst

A Challenging Context

New Methodological Tools for a New Vision

Learning from Eastern European Experiences

Restoring the Links between People and their Built Environment

'Thinning Out' and Opening the Blocks

Selective Preservation

'Architectural Design in an Old Urban Environment'

Correcting the Cityscape

To Conclude

Chapter IV Towards a Holistic Approach

R.M. Lemaire, a 'Complete Architect'

The Emergence of Integrated Conservation

The Council of Europe's Committee on Monuments and Sites

New Doctrinal Instruments

The Venice Charter: A Necessary Revision

Bruges: A Laboratory for 'Integral Planning'

From Rehabilitation to 'Retrospective Utopia'

Towards Post-Modernism?

Conclusion

Appendix 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