Recently, a wave of opposition was directed to the winners of a UNESCO and UIA organized competition for the rehabilitation on Al Nouri mosque area in Al Mousel, Iraq. The rational is based on the winners’ proposal to restore the mosque as it used to be but inject a more contemporary spirit in the surroundings. My pisition, is historical buildings should be restored but its context should be a represention of our contemporary time and using the architectural spaces and visual language which respect the uniqueness of the heritage but not copying in a superficial manner. I appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.
In building a new building, in the current post-postmodern time, you are right. But in the reconstruction of a historical building, we should not forget that the value of any building is in the memory of its history.In cases where a building is completely destroyed, there is no choice but to fully adhere to the rules of physics and aesthetics at the time before demolition. Otherwise, the name of the building can not be considered a historical building. Rather, it should be called a traditional building.
Adherence to materials, design style and physical shape of the building in the reconstruction of any historic building, is to preserve its identity. Such cases are an opportunity to keep the body of architecture alive alongside the intellectual space of the people of the past. Not an opportunity for new insights into architecture or monuments.
Thank you dear Hadi but my question is related to the importance of differentiating between the historical building and its urban context. I totally agree that we have to restore the building but why we have to use it superficially to affect the context?
The concept of time and place in the age of traditionalism is different from the age of modernism until now. The same difference can be seen in other areas that define theoretical foundations. In short, it can be said that the identity of historical buildings, more than appearance and context, is highly dependent on the body and spaces that are created through this model of architecture. The sense of place in this building is an integral part of their identity. So far, we have not been able to achieve a sense of place similar to historical monuments by changing the materials, maps, etc. So we have to repeat the same process. This trend has recently received a lot of attention. Even in order to achieve the reality of intellectual space and methods of building space in that period, projects called construction of historical buildings are being carried out in which, using the tools and methods of the same period, they are constructing historical buildings with the same form.
Even its makers should have the same clothes, the same way of life, etc. in the same place. In this way, they seem to realize not only the limitations and problems of that time, but also the views and intellectual foundations and creativity of that time.
All this is important to note: until we live like in the past, we can not realize the crystallized truth in the architecture or urban planning of that time. As a result, we can not use new tools and methods to achieve the same space and sense of place without a proper understanding of the individual and social lifestyle of that time.
Dear Ali, your request is very interesting. There is a few issues to deal here.
First, it depends on specific urban policies in an neighbourhood. Not always a single intervention and their impacts (good or bad) are spread to their immediate surroundings.
But Second, in Unesco World Heritage inscribed sites, and intervention can influence its urban neighbourhoods spreading a phenomena called heritagization. Sometimes every facade and piazza begin to posting itself colourfully looking like if it were authentic. Some places it seems like a Disney theme park.
I think an intervention in restauration should consider the context. Usually fundings or budgets are limited and does not apply enough intervention in context or they are minimal. I think sometimes, governments expect that positive improvements to the context becomes spontaneously.
Hope this comment helps.
With the development of professional restoration in nineteenth-century Europe, interventionist methods became more and more popular, which eventually led to the emergence of numerous flaws and shortcomings in the field of architectural heritage in the shadow of disregard for the two concepts of originality and integrity. Preventive protection helps by preserving originality, such as avoiding or minimizing increasing damage through timely maintenance and, if necessary, some of the interventions, emphasizing that the monument is not a one-dimensional entity and is located in the area in which it is located. It calls for a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach based on identifying existing risks and threats. Repair and maintenance and
Preventive protection monitoring requires greater involvement of local people and actors in the process. Of course, the role of influential organizations in this category should not be forgotten, because preventive protection projects can strengthen local identity and social capital in addition to creating economic stimulus.
Excellent statement Dr. Mohammad. Cant agree more with the notion of listening to the local community.
In fact, I mean to add to the local architecture of the region.
If you have an opinion on the definition of indigenous architecture, please enter your opinion in the question I asked on my personal page.
If there are specific reasons as to the construction of a Mosque according to a tradition of cosmology then the answer is to respect that rationale perhaps utilizing new materials rather than novel style cues from the present era otherwise you might end up with the retro-futurism of Zia Hadid and with tragi-comic results like the rocketship buses of the 1950s.
In the special case of Al-Nouri mosque, reconstructing the original mosque will have a psychological effect on the city inhabitants- or at least that is the assumption made by UNESCO and the SUNNI endowment responsible for the project- as a sign of victory over vandalism and destruction. there were some precedents in history to typical reconstruction of monuments that represented national landmarks, like the tower of Venice. However, the winning project promised some contemporary additions to the interior, like opening parts of the new roof or skylight, which will put a contemporary mark on the project.
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