Preservation Philosophy

Conservation Philosophy

We know we cannot maintain all preserved buildings; we simply lack the resources, and that expectation is unrealistic. We must decide which buildings require treating historical layers with great respect and which can tolerate contemporary demands and desires. We must also recognize that a historic building needs a purpose; this is essential for its future maintenance.

A building that decays significantly reduces the experiential value of the entire area. If you examine the construction closely, the building is almost certainly superior in quality to all newer buildings because builders historically used strong types of wood that are now unobtainable. Therefore, owners should reuse everything not rotten, as this offers the best economic solution in the long term.

You must view a building in its correct historical context—avoid giving it a facelift, as this creates a dishonest and artificial character. It has lived a historic life, shows the marks of time, and possesses the most beautiful historical wear of its age.

Four factors serve as keys for making decisions: the building’s originality, authenticity, identity, and narrative value.

1. Originality
   
   This refers to how much of the building is genuine and can document its origins. An original building must contain material sourced during its creation and located where it was originally placed. If someone builds a copy, the building loses its genuineness and, consequently, its narrative value.
2. Authenticity
   
   This concerns the credibility or validity with which the building appears. The building must visibly display its own continuous process in its architectural components, details, and historical wear.
3. Identity
   
   The better English word is "appearance". This is the look and character the building has gained and projects at a specific moment in time—you cannot recreate it.
4. Narrative Value
   
   This is the building’s capacity to tell its own history as the most direct objective source. The building must function as the narrator, the book itself, which must engage the reader.

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

All these phases fall under what we call restoration, and the goal is to choose the correct level of intervention for each individual building.