Journal of Architectural Conservation Vol 29, No 2 and 3, 2023

Those whose memories extend back beyond the National Planning Policy Framework will recall the advice in PPG15 regarding alterations: ‘minor works of indifferent quality, which may seem individually of little importance, can cumulatively be very destructive of a building’s special interest’. In the Journal of Architectural Conservation (Vol 29, No 2, 2023) this principle has been likened to that of the Ship of Theseus, the decayed planks of which were gradually replaced until no original timbers were left. That analogy is frequently used in the far east in the conservation of wooden heritage buildings. The essential differences between the conservation process of the mythological ship and actual Japanese practice makes the analogy misleading.

In an effort to clear up these long-standing misconceptions, a paper by Alejandro Martinez de Arbulo of the department of design and architecture, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Japan, discusses Japanese conservation guidelines and authenticity, in order to clarify the philosophy and methodology of the conservation of such wooden buildings. This clearly demonstrates an entirely valid but different approach to the conservation of historic buildings from that with which we are familiar in our Eurocentric approach to heritage management.

The November issue of the Journal of Architectural Conservation (Vol 29, No 3, 2023) includes three papers from Turkey. There is particular interest in a paper by A Luciani and E Poma about modernist architecture in sub-arctic Sweden by Ralph Erskine, the British architect and planner. Perhaps better known in Scandinavia than in Britain, Erskine was responsible for the listed Byker Wall, Newcastle, and the London Ark office block in Hammersmith, west London.

The paper provides a critical comparative analysis of three of Erskine’s projects undertaken between the 1950s and 1960s in the municipality of Kiruna. The aim was to understand the extent to which architectural technology could be developed to adapt modern design and ideals to the sub-arctic climate. The authors’ research is oriented towards examining the augmentation of the heritage value and conservation status of selected designs in relation to Erskine’s architectural vision. As in the near future only one fragment of one of the three original buildings will be preserved. The research is seen as contributing to passing on the heritage value of the design and construction process to future generations.

At an early stage, the buildings were considered worthy of formal protection, only later to be determined to have insufficient cultural or historical value to justify such a designation. It was considered that they formed part of an uncompleted urban plan, and a disconnected and foreign element in the rest of the local built environment. This lack of formal heritage recognition meant that many subsequent interventions in the form of maintenance and renovation were often performed without the necessary care. The paper is worth reading in the context of modern buildings, not yet considered worthy of formal protection, that may be altered in the interim to make them insufficiently intact and for future statutory protection.