Methodology for new buildings in the historic environment

The main objective of the project is a methodology that formulates principles for the entry of new buildings built after 1989 into the historic environment. It builds on earlier work (Kuča, Kučová, 2004) and is based primarily on a representative field survey of new buildings constructed after 1989 in the historic areas of the Czech Republic.

The collected examples are continuously evaluated, with the main focus on the relationship of the new building to the environment and its values. High quality examples are selected from all the new buildings studied, and typical situations are selected from these. These are analysed and, on the basis of this analysis, the methodology will recommend procedures that will lead to good and conservation-acceptable interventions in conservation areas, conservation zones and other areas of conservation value. Practices used in other European countries will also be studied and taken into account. Prior to the publication of the methodology, workshops with architects, conservationists and other interested professionals are planned to test the applicability of the proposed methodological procedures in practice.

The anticipated future users of the result are mainly heritage conservation workers in both the professional and executive components, i.e. employees of the Department of Heritage Conservation of the Ministry of Culture, employees of all territorial professional departments of the professional institution National Heritage Institute, practicing architects, urban planners and officials of executive departments of heritage conservation of municipalities, regional authorities and authorized municipalities with extended competence. The methodology should help to establish a dialogue between conservationists, local authorities, builders and architects in the field of new buildings in the historic environment.