Reshaping the Space. The Larger Goals of Historic Preservation and Protection

Abstract

Historic structures are not only a part of our cultural identity, but also a component of our daily life. Most of these heritage presences -objects, buildings, landscapes -are embedded in our habitat, in our cities and are influencing the way we are foreseeing the future. The strategies and methodologies developed for the material conservation of historic structures must be integrated with the projects for tomorrow. It is not only about blending old and new, but about integrating the reshaped, re-informed elements of the past into an evolutionary process. Our office, "Andreescu&Gaivoronschi", has been involved in heritage projects from conserving singular objects to large-scale urban landscaping and landscaping designs. We confronted challenges regarding methodologies, proceedings, material research. During our work we discovered the important, less evident parts of heritage: geometry, visual connectivity, meaning; we also became aware of the benefits of using contemporary art. The goal was to imagine new and meaningful roles for the remnants of the paSt. The paper presents our quest and findings, following a string of projects organized according to scale.