ERATO Proceedings Istanbul 2006.pdf - Odeon

VIRTUAL REALITY AND ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION
Can Binan
Yildiz Technical University, Architectural Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey, binancb@tnn.net
The intellectual foundations of architectural conservation concept in modern aspect have been
built upon the applications made in the late 18 th and early 19 th centuries and the Europeancentered
discussions about these applications.
The reacting applications against the stylistic restorations of Viollet le duc that have started in
England on the contrary and the leader of which is John Ruskin and the principles that have
started to become clear within these differences in application are the important milestones of
Architectural Conservation Concept. Following this historical development, the principles drawn
by Camillo Boito in Italy in 1883s have made up the foundations of contemporary architectural
conservation concept.
When the principles of Boito, such as the necessity of different applications in restoration
according to the building’s period and characteristics, the minimum intervention and
authenticity concept, the necessity and importance of conservation of the additions in the
building belonging to different periods, the necessity of the distinction of new interventions from
the original and the documentation of the whole phases of restoration, are evaluated in that
period ; they can be accepted as the contemporary conservation approach that would be placed in
Venice Charter written down in 1964s.
The book named “Der Moderne Denkmalkultus” and written by Australian architectural
historian Alois Riegl during the same period is also important. This book that has tried to
underline the importance of architectural monuments for the society using an objective point of
view has put forward a list of evaluation criteria. These values that are among the reasons of
Architectural Conservation today have been founded upon the work of Riegl.
The two of the important events that have revealed the importance and social value of
architectural conservation are the world wars that took place at short intervals. (1914 – 18 and
1939 – 45). Both of the wars have caused big damage and destruction (the second one caused
worse) and there have been times when the reconstructions of those social values that
disappeared have been performed as a result of people’s request.
Some of the cities that disappeared in Europe after the World War II have been reconstructed as
the same way they had been before for the sake of social values. This period that has depended
on the documentation and inventory work that had been done before can also be evaluated as a
period when technological development got faster for the documentation works to be done later.
The same period has also led to international communication and cooperation; and the
congresses have been organized where charters about conservation that still kept their
importance today have been written down.
1931 – Athens Congress
1964 – IInd International Congress of Architects and Technicians of Historic Monuments,
Venice, 1964. / The Venice Charter
The Venice Charter dated 1964 is very important as a text still used about the architectural
conservation today. After 1964, a series of international charters have been worked on to
complete Venice Charter and are still being prepared; however the main concept of Venice
Charter has not changed.
After 1964, a period of fast changing and globalization has taken place all around the world. The
revolution in the communication that got faster after 1970 – 80s has caused changes that could
not be foreseen in the whole world. The technological development has improved the
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