Archinect - News

Over 100 Gaza heritage sites damaged or destroyed by Israeli strikes, report says

2023-12-05T13:30:00-05:00

The Spanish NGO Heritage for Peace has published a report on the impact of recent Israeli airstrikes on Gaza’s cultural heritage. The report, released on November 7th, claims that over 100 cultural heritage landmarks have been damaged or destroyed as of publishing. Reports of subsequent damage since November 7th are not yet available.

The Heritage for Peace report lists 104 pieces of built heritage impacted by the latest war, of which 4 have been completely destroyed, 11 have been partially destroyed by direct shelling, and 89 have been partially destroyed by indirect shelling. The list of sites spans mosques, churches, archaeological sites, historical houses, shrines, cemeteries, and museums.

Among the sites completely destroyed by direct shelling is the Omari Mosque, described by NPR as “one of the most important and ancient mosques in historical Palestine.” Meanwhile, the Church of Saint Porphyrius was partially destroyed, described by NPR as “the third oldest church in the entir...

Los Angeles Conservancy CEO Linda Dishman explains the resurgence of preservation efforts in the last 30 years

2023-11-03T17:38:00-04:00

Preservation has really become more of a commonly held value. I think of my first years, when we were fighting to save the Herald Examiner building. Fighting to save the Ambassador Hotel. Fighting to save the May Company. The Herald Examiner was going to be torn down for a parking lot, which seems so strange now. But that’s how little value people placed on these buildings and their history.

Linda Dishman’s tenure at the helm of the Los Angeles Conservancy has seen major gains for the preservation of Paul Revere Williams’ nearly forgotten legacy, the LA Coliseum, and several important Welton Becket designs, among other newsworthy accomplishments. Adrian Scott Fine will replace her in December. Dishman said she anticipates a better climate for her predecessor, adding that she personally counts the Ambassador Hotel’s demolition and preservation of the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana downtown as the LAC’s biggest wins and losses, respectively.

Modern structures in Kuwait, Nigeria, Senegal, Chile, and more selected for conservation grants by Getty Foundation

2020-07-15T15:33:00-04:00

The Getty Foundation has selected 13 pivotal Modernist structures located around the world to receive funding for conservation and restoration initiatives as part of its Keeping It Modern Architecture Conservation Grants program.

As in years passed, the selected structures are located globally, with this year's collection of funded projects highlighting several structures that celebrate "post-independence African modernism." Launched in 2014, the Keeping It Modern Initiative has supported a total of 77 projects in 40 countries so far, according to the Getty Foundation

“Modern architecture, with its experimental materials and structural innovations, is a powerful cultural expression that took many forms worldwide,” said Joan Weinstein, director of the Getty Foundation. “These buildings embody human ingenuity, but many are showing their age and face irreversible damage or even demolition if we fail to act. Our Keeping It Modern grantees across the globe are working to safeguard this ...

Abandoned Chinese village receives art and architecture-fueled restoration and expansion

2020-05-22T14:22:00-04:00

Beijing-based NEXT architects, the Dutch Institute for heritage and marketing (IVEM), Smartland Architects, Total Design and a group of local artists have crafted a revitalization plan for the historic village of Dafang in China's Jiangxi Province.

As part of an effort to reinvigorate the 102 abandoned villages currently located within the province, the project looks to bring renewed commercial and residential activity to the district via arts-focused adaptive reuse.

"Rural revitalization is one of China's key future developments. We believe this asks for the design of balance between old and new, living and visiting, history and future," explains John van de Water, partner at NEXT architects Beijing.

Following a vision that brings multiple interventions to the site, including new additions to existing buildings, new pedestrian and lookout structures, and modern replacements and restorations for certain existing infrastructural elements, the design team is able to devise new ways of...

Inside the high-strung world of McMansion-moving

2019-07-25T13:35:00-04:00

More than 8,000 structures are moved each year, due to development, environmental hazards and historic preservation, according to Tammie DeVooght Blaney, executive director of the International Association of Structural Movers. Industry leaders estimate that high-end, single-family homes at 4,000 square feet or greater account for about only a dozen of these moves annually.

Oceans are rising, hillsides are collapsing, and low-lying neighborhoods are flooding, so what are rich people doing? Relocating, of course.

The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the logistically complex world of McMansion-moving, profiling a series of contractors and building movers who reposition giant homes for a living.

The reasons why homeowners decide to move their homes varies, but one thing is for sure: It's not cheap. “The more logistical issues involved in the move, the greater the costs, the more you need to prove the value of the house,” John Clegg, president of the Texas Association of Structural Movers, told The Wall Street Journal, adding, “Ninety-five percent of people who reach out to us don’t do the move. It’s just too expensive.”

NIMBYs in Boise find success in establishing neighborhoods as conservation districts

2017-12-13T14:12:00-05:00

In the East End, a plan for a home on Mobley Drive off Warm Springs Avenue spurred a group of neighbors to start organizing what the city calls a conservation district. The house would have been two stories and narrow, while most nearby homes are single-level ranch-style structures built in the 1950s.

A 16-year-old ordinance in Boise that allows for the establishment of conservation districts is coming back in favor as neighborhood groups have figured out they can use it to quash projects they don't like. Conservation districts are similar to historic ones in that they define development through the regulation of architectural styles, height, massing, and uses of buildings. Through their establishment, property owners decide the district’s contours and which uses, building types or design features are allowed.

In Boise, such ordinances have been used to successfully restrict massive parking lots and prevent the demolition of homes. Now, in the East End neighborhood, community members are pushing for a conservation district in order to curb the building of a two-story, 30-foot-wide home that would clash with the street's dominating midcentury architecture. A hearing was scheduled with the Planning and Zoning Commission for Monday, but the developers withdrew their application befo...

Notre-Dame de Paris asks for a makeover

2017-09-29T16:42:00-04:00

Broken gargoyles and fallen balustrades replaced by plastic pipes and wooden planks. Flying buttresses darkened by pollution and eroded by rainwater. Pinnacles propped up by beams and held together with straps.

The historic French monument, Notre-Dame de Paris, has suffered due to time, rain, pollution and wind.

Built from 1160 to 1345, with restorations and additions in the mid 19th century by architects Jean-Baptiste Lassus and Viollet-le-Duc, the cathedral attracts 14 million visitors per year.

Image from WIkipedia

The cathedral's spokesman André Finot explained that the cathedral needs an extensive makeover. The cost of the restoration is estimated at 150 million euros (US $180 million).

Image from Friends of the Notre-Dame de Paris

Pinnacles appear to be melting due to atmospheric corrosion.

Image from Friends of the Notre-Dame de Paris

Several gargoyles are highly damaged by rain, pollution and wind.

Image from Friends of the Notre-Dame de Paris

Flying buttresses are one of the most urgent and concerning issues due to their structural function. If one was to collapse, the consequences would be disastrous.

Image from Friends of the Notre-Dame de Paris

The Friends of the Notre-Dame de Par...

World Monuments Fund pledges to help restore earthquake-damaged Kumamoto Castle Town

2017-08-15T13:05:00-04:00

The historic Japanese city of Kumamoto, famous for its picturesque 15th century castle, experienced a damaging earthquake in 2016, leading to the demolition of several of its historic buildings. The World Monument Fund has pledged to help restore the remaining older buildings (although it should be noted that the current iteration of the castle is a late 20th century concrete copy, retaining only a few of the original wooden walls). According to a press release:

About 350 historic buildings essential to the town’s historic streetscape sustained damage in the 2016 earthquake. Some were demolished in the aftermath of the disaster, leaving many of the approximately 300 structures that remained at great risk of demolition. WMF initially joined ICOMOS Japan in an on-site field study in May 2016 to understand priorities and conservation needs, and will now assist KMT [Kumamoto Machinami Trust] in their restoration efforts.

The Getty completes major renovation project of Kahn's Salk Institute

2017-06-29T12:22:00-04:00

It’s heralded as one of the major masterpieces of American modernism, but its ocean-adjacent location has made conservation difficult. Today, the Getty Conservation Institute announced that a major renovation project of Louis Kahn ’s Salk Institute in La Jolla has been completed.

The project centered primarily around restoring the complex’s teak window walls. Set within the monolithic concrete walls of the study towers and offices, they had weathered to a non-uniform appearance and were deteriorating. While prefabricated, the windows have a “hand-crafted quality” due to the detailing. Over the years, they suffered surface erosion and had accumulated a fungal biofilm.

Salk Institute for Biological Studies, photos by Elizabeth Daniels

“Restoration of the teak wood presented a number of challenges,” says Kyle Normandin, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. project manager and associate principal. “The success of the project is that we were able to save so much of the original materia...