Contemporary Architecture in the Historic Environment

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Case Studies
Ševčenko, Margaret Bentley, ed. 1983. Adaptive Reuse: Integrating Traditional
Areas into the Modern Urban Fabric: Proceedings of the Third Seminar in a
Series Offered by the Continuing Education Program of the M.I.T. Laboratory
of Architecture and Planning and the Harvard Graduate School of Design in
Collaboration with the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard
and M.I.T., August 16–20, 1982. Designing in Islamic Cultures 3. Cambridge,
MA: Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture.
This publication is a compilation of papers presented during the third seminar
of the series “Designing in Islamic Cultures.” The theme of this seminar was
the adaptation of traditional urban settings to contemporary life. In part 2,
“Redeveloping and Rehabilitating Traditional Urban Areas,” each chapter presents
an example of revitalization projects in different cities in the Middle East.
One of the main challenges in these projects was to develop an approach to creating
appropriate new buildings in historic cities. For example, in chapter 5,
“Conservation and Redevelopment of the Kadhimiyeh Area in Baghdad,”
authors John Warren and Roy Worskett describe a plan proposed for an area that
had been cleared in a historic neighborhood of Baghdad. The proposed design
called for a contemporary architecture and street layout that were sympathetic
to the local character and traditional buildings. (A.P.A.G.)
Siza, Álvaro, Carlos Castanheira, and Luís Mendes. 1997. Álvaro Siza: The
Reconstruction of the Chiado, Lisbon. [Portugal]: ICEP - Investimentos
Comércio e Turismo de Portugal.
In 1988, fire destroyed part of the Chiado historic district in Lisbon, Portugal.
This book documents the design and reconstruction between 1988 and 1990 of
the three city blocks of this district. The reconstruction allowed the city of
Lisbon to insert new architecture in a historic environment. The designs were
undertaken by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza.
The book outlines the history of the development of Lisbon, emphasizing its
character based on its urban morphology, which was ultimately retained during
reconstruction. A number of considerations related to the design of the new
architectural insertions in the historic environment are described, including
immediate built form and context, its integration into the city (the site was in a
transitional area from downtown to the hills area), existing architectural character,
the opportunity to revitalize the neighborhood, and the opportunity to solve
other urban issues in the area such as traffic reduction and greater integration of
public transport. A holistic response to these considerations is discussed, and
the book includes examples of new architectural insertions at the Chiado,
including architectural drawings and thoughts on the project by the architect.
(L.M.)
SPUR (San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association). 2013. "New Life
for Old Buildings." Special issue, Urbanist (525). http://www.spur.org/publications/urbanist/2013-07/new-life-old-buildings
This issue of the Urbanist was published in conjunction with an exhibition at
SPUR’s Urban Center, San Francisco, in 2013. The exhibition, “Adapt,
Transform, Reuse,” presented more than a dozen examples of historic preserva-
Contemporary Architecture in the Historic Environment: An Annotated Bibliography - Getty Conservation Institute - 2015