Contemporary Architecture in the Historic Environment

17
Conservation Policy
1.2: National Conservation Policy Documents
Australia ICOMOS. 2013. The Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter for
Places of Cultural Significance, 2013. http://australia.icomos.org/wp-content/
uploads/The-Burra-Charter-2013-Adopted-31.10.2013.pdf
The Burra Charter provides best practice guidance for the conservation and
management of places of cultural significance. First developed in 1979, the
Burra Charter is structured by articles that outline the definitions and principles
of conservation, its process, and its practice. All articles interrelate, and no one
article should be read on its own. The charter can be applied to all places of cultural
significance, which is defined as places with “aesthetic, historic, scientific,
social or spiritual value for past, present or future generations” (article 1.2). It
defines the aim of conservation as retaining the cultural significance of a place
(article 2.2). The Burra Charter advocates a cautious approach, “changing as
much as necessary but as little as possible” (article 3.1).
Where changes are proposed to a place of cultural significance, the charter recommends
a process of assessment. The assessment should reference the statement
of heritage significance and policies for managing the place. Changes such
as alterations, additions, or new works, should be assessed as to their impact on
the cultural significance of the place, and design modifications may be required
to reduce any impacts. The charter identifies that new construction or other
changes that would adversely affect the settings or relationships in a place of
cultural significance are not appropriate (article 8).
Article 22 of the Burra Charter outlines the conservation principles in relation
to new works. It advocates that imitation should generally be avoided and new
works should respect the significance of the place through consideration of the
new works’ siting, scale, bulk, form, character, color, texture, and material.
Specifically, the principles in relation to new works state:
• Article 22.1 New work such as additions or other changes to the place
may be acceptable where it respects and does not distort or obscure the
cultural significance of the place, or detract from its interpretation and
appreciation.
• Article 22.2 New work should be readily identifiable as such, but must
respect and have minimal impact on the cultural significance of the
place. (L.M.)
Australia ICOMOS. 2013. Practice Note: Burra Charter Article 22—New Work.
http://australia.icomos.org/wp-content/uploads/Practice-Note_Burra-Charter-
Article-22-New-Work.pdf
In 2013, Australia ICOMOS prepared a series of practice notes to supplement
and provide practical advice on aspects of the Burra Charter and its application.
The practice notes are designed to be read in conjunction with the Burra
Charter. This practice note discusses article 22 relating to new works in places
of cultural significance. In the first (1979) version of the Burra Charter, article
22.2 stated that “new work should be readily identifiable as such,” and the wording
of this article was sometimes used to support new designs that did not
respect the cultural significance of a place. The 2013 version of the charter
Contemporary Architecture in the Historic Environment: An Annotated Bibliography - Getty Conservation Institute - 2015