Contemporary Architecture in the Historic Environment

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Case Studies
ents these concepts and is followed by a series of 12 walks, with maps and photographs,
that describe historic and contemporary buildings and their settings
and context. As part of the latter examples, the author touches on the appropriateness
of the new (1980s–2010s) buildings in terms of the principles of heritage
conservation and urban design. However, he predominately describes and
assesses the new buildings on their own design merit as well as in term of their
immediate context.
The introduction provides an introduction to the economic, political, and social
influences to the architecture of the City. The author does not discuss heritage
conservation as an issue in detail but considers a variety of design and contextual
factors that influence the quality of insertions in historic environments.
The author views heritage conservation as having fluctuating fortunes in terms
of new insertions in the historic environment. He describes the concept of “discrepancies
of contrast” used to justify the construction of tall new structures
adjacent to historic buildings. The book highlights that not every building needs
to be iconic (and that the age of “starchitecture” may be over) as the City needs
to be an urbane and humane place with quality background buildings. Examples
of successful heritage conservation projects in London include adaptive reuse of
historic buildings to economically viable and appropriate purposes and indicate
that the character of the City has been conserved by retaining medieval street
patterns. (L.M.)
Foster, Norman, and Chris Abel. 2011. Carre d'Art, Nîmes: Foster + Partners.
Munich: Prestel.
This book is a study of Norman Foster’s Carré d’Art, in Nîmes, France. The
building was opened in 1993 after Foster won an international architecture
competition to design a médiathèque in the center of Nîmes, which, at the time,
was being used as a parking lot. The Carré d’Art includes a library, art gallery,
and place for cinema, music, and video. The site is located in a historic district
opposite the Maison Carrée, constructed in approximately 16 BCE and subsequently
reconstructed in 5 CE, and considered by the authors to be one of the
best-preserved Roman buildings in the former empire.
Development of the architectural design of the Carré d’Art by Foster is discussed,
particularly in terms of urban design and human geography. Foster considers
the development of the site in the context of the immediate surroundings,
historical associations, and the broader city itself. Also discussed are the challenges
of relating the old to the new, the architectural dialogue of the new building
with the Maison Carrée, and the insertion of a new building so as to
continuity to the historic area as a setting for contemporary urban life. (L.M.)
Jäger, Frank Peter, ed. 2010. Old and New: Design Manual for Revitalizing
Existing Buildings. Basel: Birkhäuser.
This book presents 32 case studies on the modification of existing historic
buildings in Europe, principally from German-speaking countries. The book
discusses additions to, adaptation of, and reuse of existing buildings rather than
stand-alone new architectural insertions in historic environments; however, the
ideas discussed may also be applicable to new architectural insertions. The case
Contemporary Architecture in the Historic Environment: An Annotated Bibliography - Getty Conservation Institute - 2015