AN ANALYTICAL APPROACH FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF NEW EXTERIOR ADDITIONS TO HISTORIC BUILDINGS

Abstract

Intervention within the architectural heritage is one of the inevitable approaches in architectural conservation in order to adapt the historic buildings to the changing contemporary conditions. Considered as major interventions, introduction of new exterior additions to historic buildings may appear to be acceptable, especially when the demands of new conditions require extra space. In practice, the standards guiding interventions and new additions are determined by legislations of each country most of which have been developed on the basis of international charters regarding architectural conservation. However, it is observed that such regulations may result in unappreciated examples, as the interpretation of the architect is still one of the basic criteria directing the state of the building after restoration. This study is structured as an alternating approach to the dilemma of either putting forward strict rules or simple guides in order to direct the design of any new addition. Therefore, the aim is not to direct the architect through providing a set of rules, but to help invoke the criteria that may form a basis for design decisions through the analysis and evaluation of actual examples. The study is expected to be helpful for the architects in the establishment of a relation between the historic building and the contemporary addition by proposing an assessment method applied on example buildings with additions.