Historical versus Modern: identity through imitation
Historical versus Modern: identity through imitation, Barbara Engel (editor) with Johannes Blechschmidt, Max Mutsch and Philine Schneider, Jovis Verlag GmbH. 2018, 213 pages, many urban plans and colour illustrations.
In an age of rapid urban growth, the longing for stability and rootedness has often fostered a return to historical forms and local identities. Across the world, city districts are being historicised during the process of reconstruction. This German (English language) publication examines a number of international projects exemplifying the trend. The authors’ aim is to understand the motivations behind them and whether they provide models of good urban design. The 14 selected examples vary widely, from reconstruction after loss with the aim of recovering their history, to new ‘Old Cities’ that provide an invented past. There are also copied places where imitation becomes an urban development principle in order to create a tourist magnet.
The book is edited by Barbara Engel, who has followed the contested discussions on this topic over several years. In most instances she has found that public opinion, which predominantly supports historicising new constructions, is diametrically opposed by conservation professionals, urban planners and architects. This makes it a difficult subject and the book skilfully avoids taking an unduly partisan approach. Yet there is a sense that collective memory is a powerful driver for recovering history. The book raises many interesting lines of enquiry, for example, can lost identities be retrieved with reconstructed buildings, and is the multi-faceted nature of urban history accurately reflected in present-day recreations?
The book is divided into four sections, each featuring between two and five urban development plans. The first is Reconstruction after Loss, which includes the Polish city of Elbing, which was largely destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt in a contemporary interpretation of its original historic form. This makes for a townscape that recalls the original merchant town, but it is criticised by many local historians and architects as a vision of what an old town might look like rather than the reality of the one that was destroyed. A more polarised debate has taken place between traditionalists and modernists over the Dom-Römer area of Frankfurt. This resulted in a mix of both historical reconstructions and contemporary designs, but with little thought given to their harmonisation.
Section 2, titled Copied Spaces, considers China’s practice of imitating western European landmarks and districts. Two new satellite towns in Shanghai are featured. Anting is intended to represent a modern ecologically-based model of a German city, while Thames Town imitates British small-town typology, with Stratford-on-Avon used as the template. Next comes New Old Cities, a concept involving construction of an imagined past, with the aim of fostering neighbourliness, social cohesion and sense of place. The prime example is Poundbury, but more remarkable is the postmodern historicism displayed at the new town of Haverleij in the Netherlands, and a brave attempt to challenge the American love of the suburbs at the Mercado District in Tucson, Arizona.
The final section examines Transformations of History, which see cities not as static constructs but as places subject to constant change. An example is Skopje 2014, a state-sponsored regeneration project focused on the urban core of the capital city of the Republic of Macedonia, which aims to project a new interpretation of national history. Populist in nature, this involves renovating existing buildings, façade-cladding buildings of the Socialist era, and creating monuments, sculptures and even a triumphal arch.
Although the examples chosen to illustrate these international approaches to ‘heritage-based’ regeneration are difficult to compare, given the lack of consistency in planning regimes, politics and cultural values, the book raises many pertinent questions about the methods that are being used, their capacity for strengthening local identity and their lasting value.
This article originally appeared as ‘Recovering history’ in IHBC's Context 159 (Page 63), published in May 2019. It was written by Peter de Figueiredo, heritage consultant.
--Institute of Historic Building Conservation
Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Architectural styles.
- British post war mass housing.
- Conservation.
- Demolishing Modernism: Britain's lost post-war gems.
- Eclecticism.
- Historic England.
- IHBC articles.
- Mimetic architecture.
- Post-modernism.
- The Inquiry - Mansion House Square v. Number 1 Poultry.
- The Institute of Historic Building Conservation.
- Vernacular architecture.
IHBC NewsBlog
Crystal Palace Subway, for 160th anniversary
The remarkable Grade II* listed Crystal Palace Subway in South London begins a new era following major restoration.
National Trust brings nature back to an area twice the size of Manchester in less than a decade
The National Trust has achieved its aim of creating or restoring 25,000 hectares of priority habitat on its land by 2025.
18th-century hospital in York to become sustainable homes
A former mental health establishment founded by a Quaker in 1792 is to be converted into 120 energy-efficient homes in York.
Context 180 Released - Where Heritage and Nature Meet
The issue includes life, death, Forests, bats, landscapes and much more.
Church architecture awards 2024: now open
The National Churches Trust has announced three awards, all of which are run in partnership with the Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association (EASA).
The essential sector guide includes officers' updates and a foreword by EH Chair Gerard Lemos.
Historic England opens nominations for the National Blue Plaque Scheme
The scheme is open to nominations to celebrate people from all walks of life.
Striking photos show nature reclaiming brutalist concrete
‘Brutalist Plants’ explores nature’s links to the architectural style characterised by imposing form and exposed concrete.
Purcell’s guidance on RAAC for Listed Buildings in England & Wales
The guidance specifically focuses on Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in listed buildings.
IHBC Membership Journal Context - Latest Issue on 'Hadrian's Wall' Published
The issue includes takes on the wall 'end-to-end' including 'the man who saved it'.