Adaptive Re-use in Conservation. On balancing monument and architectural values.

In the discourse on preserving architectural heritage, adaptive reuse is getting more acknowledged as a feasible strategy in transforming built heritage. Considering that buildings need to adapt to new circumstances to play an active role in contemporary society again, architectural interventions of varying degrees are required. The basis of the decision-making process is an assessment of values which help to provide a common language and a scientific foundation. Value systems primarily refer to the building’s significance as a testimony to the past and the present desire to conserve it. Comparing relevant publications (including Riegl’s ‘Modern Cult of Monuments’) and International Charters on heritage conservation to prominent case studies, architectural values are examined alongside monument values to reflect future concerns of the built environment.
This paper is part of a PhD thesis investigating the assessment of values in adaptive re-use projects and their reflection in legislation on the example of Belgium.