Methodology for new buildings in the historic environment
The main objective of the project is to develop a methodology that formulates general principles for the integration of new buildings into a historic environment. Using examples of selected buildings constructed after 1989 within an urban-historical context, the project will evaluate how these buildings have been integrated into their surroundings and whether this approach is worthy of emulation or, conversely, inappropriate in terms of the resulting perception of the whole. The methodology builds upon earlier work (Kuča, Kučová, 2004) and supplements that methodology with new insights, as it is based on a comprehensive, representative field survey of new buildings constructed over the past 30 years in 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.