Preservation Philosophy

Time has shown that we cannot maintain all preserved buildings; there are simply no resources for it, and it is utopian to think so. We must decide which buildings we should treat with great respect for the historical layers, and which buildings can withstand the many desires and demands of the time. We must consider that a historic building must have a purpose; this is a prerequisite for them to be maintained in the future.

A building that is left to decay greatly influences the experiential value of the entire area. If you scratch a little on the building constructions, it is 99% certain that the building, in terms of quality, still surpasses all other newer buildings because in the past, good, strong types of wood were used that are impossible to obtain today. Therefore, everything that is not rotten should be reused, also because it is the best solution economically in the long run.

A building must be seen in its proper age context—no giving it a facelift, as that will give it a dishonest and artificial character! It has lived a historic life and is marked by life, yet bearing the most beautiful historical wear of its age.

Four factors that can almost be used as keys to the decision: The building's originality, authenticity, identity, and its narrative value.

1. Originality
   
   How much of the building is genuine and can document its origin. An original building must have material that originates from its creation and is placed where it was created. If a copy is built, the genuineness is lost, and thereby it has lost its narrative value.
2. Authenticity
   
   This concerns credibility, the validity with which the building appears. It must display its own continuous process in the visible architectural parts, in details, but also in the historical wear.
3. Identity
   
   A better word in English: appearance. The look and character that the building has acquired and radiates at a certain point in time—it cannot be recreated.
4. Narrative Value
   
   The building's ability to tell its history as the most direct objective source. The building must be the narrator, the book itself, which must activate the reader.

One must work based on a scale that includes many forms of intervention on a building, from the very gentle building care to prevention and maintenance, to protection and repair, to reinstatement (tilbageføring), reproduction, and finally the most extreme: Reconstruction.

All these phases can be contained within what we call restoration, and the point is to choose the correct strength for the individual building.