1. The Palaeontology Wing at the Natural History Museum, assessed by Purcell for inclusion in the national list 2. Axonometric of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, showing the structural frame and geometric composition of Gibberd’s building 3. The Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery, Venturi’s only building in the UK 4. St Fagans National Museum of History – Purcell’s approach guided Cadw and added new buildings to the post-war context
IT’S ALL ARCHITECTURE TO US… Jon Wright and David Hills discuss how dilemmas raised by 20th-century buildings are influencing established philosophies on the conservation of buildings from earlier periods
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nature of fabric is paramount if we are to avoid mistakes of the past and define new modes of conservation for the future.
Balancing tangible and intangible significance
As with buildings of any period, the tangible fabric of modern architecture – concrete, steel, plastic and glass (among other things) – comes with range of intangible values. Objectively, this should present no problem for assessment, as long as those values are expressed fully and reflected in the conservation response. Modernism was a departure from earlier architectures; it forged new forms, overturned old conventions and created unfamiliar new spaces and places through progressive ideas about how to live and how to recalibrate our buildings to a changing world. It was the first truly global architecture, spanning the central decades of the 20th century and evolving into a diverse series of languages that valued similar conceptual and artistic themes. The intangible qualities of Modernism are therefore related to design intent, artistic expression, the purposeful reflection or rejection of context, and the relationship of the building to international movements. 1 Projects for listed and unlisted 20th-century buildings over the last decade have failed to properly address these intangible aspects, resulting in outcomes that do not represent conservation – partly due to the lack of an agreed approach. In 2017 the International Council on Monuments and Sites’ 20th-century
committee, ISC20, ventured the first international standard, Approaches to the Conservation of Twentieth Century Cultural Heritage: Madrid–New Delhi Document. This milestone has formed the basis for much recent work by Purcell; awareness of international best practice, scholarship and evolving our own expertise are the key ways we bring consistency to our approach to modern buildings.
Valuing judgement
Listing has had to evolve to accommodate modern heritage. The latest thematic survey on Postmodernism added 17 buildings dating from the 1970s and 80s to the list, and more will follow. These, and those from preceding post-war decades, pose fundamental questions about heritage protection at a time when clarity is needed about what is being valued and why. At the National Gallery, as masterplanners and designers of new gallery spaces, Purcell recognised the importance of the Postmodern extension by Venturi Scott Brown & Associates. This was expressed before the decision to list, bringing ARCHITECTURAL PRESS ARCHIVE / RIBA COLLECTIONS
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o century has left us a more varied set of conservation challenges than the 20th century. A vast array of new styles, alternative technologies and materials, plus diverse intellectual and creative forces have left behind a tremendous architectural legacy. Caring for that legacy and bringing equivalence to conservation efforts is a continuous intellectual and practical debate – with consensus often hard to reach. For Purcell, the question remains consistent: how can we, as architects, masterplanners and heritage consultants, assess and respond effectively to buildings of the 20th century and, in the process, bring parity to our conservation efforts on buildings of all periods? Purcell’s commitment to improving conservation assessment and architectural responses to 20th-century buildings is manifest in recent projects and engagement across the sector: we work with communities and specialist groups to share knowledge and bring new ideas and fresh approaches to these buildings. Purcell is the first practice to have convened a 20th-century group, creating a forum allowing like-minded people throughout the sector to share information, expertise and illustrate projects. Our collaborative philosophy arises from a unique make-up that aligns the critical interpretation of the heritage consultant teams with the creative pragmatism of the project architects. For 20th-century buildings, we believe that understanding place, design intent and
