Part 7: Heritage and Future Challenges (PDF)

PART 4. HERITAGE AND FUTURE CHALLENGES UPDATED SKILLS AND COMPETENCES FOR CONTEMPORARY RESTORERS THE DEBATE BETWEEN 1970-1990 Brandi’s ideas, formalized in the 1972 restoration charter, highly influenced the debates and practices of restoration from the 70s to the 90s. Some of these principles wer...

PART 4. HERITAGE AND FUTURE CHALLENGES UPDATED SKILLS AND COMPETENCES FOR CONTEMPORARY RESTORERS THE DEBATE BETWEEN 1970-1990 Brandi’s ideas, formalized in the 1972 restoration charter, highly influenced the debates and practices of restoration from the 70s to the 90s. Some of these principles were: 1. Reversibility of Restoration Interventions This principle emphasizes that any restoration work should be undoable, allowing future restorers to modify or remove the intervention without damaging the original artifact. During the 1970s-1990s, this principle was widely debated, especially in the context of materials and methods. Scholars like Giovanni Carbonara emphasized reversibility as a safeguard for the historical and material integrity of monuments, aligning it with his critical- conservative approach. Marco Dezzi Bardeschi, on the other hand, questioned whether some irreversible "marks of time" should also be preserved, favoring minimal handling of historical stratifications. 2. Criterion of Minimum Intervention This criterion underlines the necessity of intervening only when absolutely essential and with the least amount of alteration to the artifact. During this period, Marco Dezzi Bardeschi strongly adhered to this principle, advocating for a "pure conservation" approach that avoided significant additions or reconstructions. In contrast, Paolo Marconi interpreted this principle with more flexibility, advocating for "restoration by analogy," which allowed stylistically coherent integrations if they contributed to the monument's functionality and readability. 3. Use of Compatible Materials Compatibility refers to ensuring that new materials used in restoration do not negatively interact with the original materials of the artifact. This principle gained traction with advancements in materials science, which offered new options for ensuring the durability and non-invasiveness of interventions. Carbonara, for example, insisted on using traditional materials where appropriate, combined with modern ones, but always guided by rigorous testing and documentation. 4. Distinguishability of Interventions Brandi's idea that restoration should remain clearly distinguishable from the original was another key point of contention in the debates of the era. Marco Dezzi Bardeschi took this to an extreme, arguing that additions should be visibly different to preserve historical authenticity. Paolo Marconi, however, argued for a subtler approach, where new interventions would harmonize with the historical context without overpowering it. Giovanni Carbonara advocated for a balanced stance, ensuring that new elements were distinct but not disruptive, in line with his critical judgment-based methodology. PAOLO MARCONI: RESTORATION BY ANALOGY AND CONTINUOUS MAINTENANCE Paolo Marconi was one of the leading proponents of restoration as a cultural act closely tied to the Italian tradition of critical restoration. His approach, based on restoration by analogy, sought to balance respect for the past with the need to keep monuments relevant in the present. The Theory of Restoration by Analogy According to Marconi, restoration should recover the aesthetic and cultural identity of a monument through interventions that are legible but not alien to its historical context. This translates into critical reconstruction, grounded in stylistic coherence and controlled integration of missing elements. His method rejects pure conservation, viewing it as a form of immobilism, and recognizes restoration as an interpretative act. In Art and Culture of Monument Maintenance, Marconi highlights the importance of maintenance as a preventive tool to avoid more drastic interventions. Continuous maintenance preserves the material and functional integrity of the monument, ensuring its usability without compromising its historical values. “What is restoration?” for Paolo Marconi “Restoration means working on an architecture or an urban context with the aim of preserving them for a long time, when they are worthy of being appreciated and enjoyed by our descendants. The practitioner must ensure that the object of their work is passed down in the best possible condition, also for the purpose of transmitting the meanings that the object holds.” - Paolo Marconi MARCO DEZZI BARDESCHI: THE PURE CONSERVATION Marco Dezzi Bardeschi represents a strongly conservative position (“pure conservation”) that values historical stratifications and material traces as irreplaceable testimonies of time. The Theory of Pure Conservation Dezzi Bardeschi references thermodynamics and studies the problems of deterioration by interpreting them as a loss of energy between the object-building and its environment. All bodies in nature are destined to lose energy—and thus matter—eventually reaching that final stage known as entropy. Therefore, restoration should not eliminate (overlays, plasters, masonry, flooring, materials of various types) but should instead add additional material to slow down the processes of dissolution. This was possible with the use of modern materials (like resins). Dezzi Bardeschi combines these conservative principles with a strong design-oriented approach. Drawing on certain ideas from modern architecture—such as those proposed by Zevi—he argues that restoration interventions should indeed add something, but in a modern key: a new project overlays the ancient, commenting on it, presenting it, and often, ironically engaging with it. The Intervention on the Palazzo della Regione in Milan A concrete example of Bardeschi’s vision is his intervention on the Palazzo della Regione in Milan. Here, he avoided any form of stylistic reconstruction, opting instead to preserve and consolidate the building in its current state, emphasizing the marks of time. This decision reflects a profound respect for the monument's authenticity, even if it means leaving it incomplete or "imperfect" to modern eyes. The addition of the external staircase was a deliberate decision to ensure the usability of the structure without compromising its historical layers. Bardeschi’s staircase was a modern, clearly distinguishable addition, in line with the principle of distinguishability outlined in Cesare Brandi's restoration theory. The staircase, designed in metal, introduced a sharp contrast to the historical materials of the building. This was intentional, as Bardeschi sought to make new additions legible, avoiding any attempt to mimic or blend seamlessly with the historical fabric. The use of metal underscored the modernity of the intervention, creating a dialogue between the old and the new. Beyond its aesthetic and symbolic significance, the staircase served a practical purpose, facilitating access and circulation within the building. For Bardeschi, maintaining the active use of a historical structure was integral to its conservation. The staircase thus embodied his view that restoration should guarantee the building's functionality for present and future needs, aligning with his broader emphasis on “transmitting efficiency to the future.” "What is Restoration?" for Marco Dezzi Bardeschi «Restoration is any intervention that proposes the objective of the permanence over time, however relative, of the physical consistency of the material asset inherited from history, of which it can be guaranteed the conservation of each of its endowments and components in an active use (better the latter if still original or at least of high compatibility and minimum consumption), to be pursued through opportune and calculated new project contributions (functional, plant-technological, furnishing), in view of its integral transmission in efficiency to the future.» – Marco Dezzi Bardeschi GIOVANNI CARBONARA: CRITICAL-CONSERVATIVE RESTORATION Giovanni Carbonara stands out for his development of critical-conservative restoration, a methodology that balances the preservation of a monument with its readability and usability in the present. His philosophy reflects a pragmatic and rational approach that combines historical analysis, contextual understanding, and critical judgment. The Philosophy of Critical Restoration Carbonara views restoration as a cultural act that requires deep historical understanding and interpretative skill. In Architecture Today and Restoration, he emphasizes that interventions must respect the monument's complexity, avoiding oversimplifications or arbitrary reinterpretations. Integrating new elements is permissible but must be justified by both historical and functional considerations. "Critical-conservation" approach: Conservation, because it requires, first and foremost, that the monument be transmitted to the future in the best possible condition, and secondly, because the current historical awareness demands preserving much more than in the past; Critical, due to the explicit reference to the theoretical formulations of the same name, with the conviction that each intervention represents a unique episode, not classifiable into predefined categories. "What is Restoration?" for Giovanni Carbonara «By “restoration” is meant any intervention aimed at preserving and transmitting to the future, facilitating their reading and without erasing the traces of the passage of time, the works of historical, artistic and environmental interest; it is based on the respect for the ancient substance and authentic documentation constituted by these works, proposing itself, moreover, as an act of critical interpretation that is not verbal but expressed in the concrete operation.» - Giovanni Carbonara