Modern Heritage: Reuse, Renovation, Restoration confronts one of architecture's most pressing contemporary problems — what to do with the vast legacy of Modernist buildings that are ageing, redundant, or at risk, and how to intervene without erasing what made them significant.
About This Book
Produced in cooperation with Docomomo, the international organisation dedicated to the documentation and conservation of buildings of the Modern Movement, this volume assembles architects and art historians to examine the challenges specific to Modernist heritage. Unlike historic masonry structures, these buildings were built with industrial materials and utopian intent — their preservation demands both technical rigour and conceptual sensitivity. Twenty-four best-practice case studies illustrate the range of possible approaches to restoration and rehabilitation, from the celebrated to the overlooked. The book makes a clear argument: that Modernist buildings deserve the same depth of interpretive care we extend to earlier eras, and that authenticity must remain the guiding principle of any intervention.
Key Features
- 256 pages of architectural analysis, critical essays, and illustrated case studies
- Edited by Ana Tostões
- Notable case studies include the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon and Juan O'Gorman's house for his father in Mexico
- Published by Birkhäuser, ISBN: 9783035625080
What You'll Discover
- How Docomomo's framework shapes best-practice approaches to the rehabilitation of Modern Movement buildings worldwide
- The specific material and conceptual challenges that distinguish Modernist conservation from the restoration of earlier architectural periods
- How lesser-known works — including O'Gorman's Mexican residence — have been preserved through interventions grounded in archival research and respect for original intent
- The tension between adapting buildings to contemporary use and maintaining the authenticity of their Modernist character
About the Author
Ana Tostões is an architectural historian and a leading figure in the Docomomo international network, with extensive scholarship focused on the architecture and urbanism of the Modern Movement. Her editorial work brings together practitioners and historians to address the theory and practice of Modernist heritage conservation.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 256
- Dimensions: 280 x 220 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9783035625080
- Publisher: Birkhäuser
Perfect For: Architects and heritage practitioners working with Modernist buildings, architectural historians, conservation specialists, and Docomomo members seeking rigorous case study references.