Elective Course Fall Semester 2021
Current strategies of «building in the existing fabric» are backed by various historical theories and practices of preservation. But which architects follow – explicitly or implicitly – which theory? How do these points of view evolve through the works of different actors in their preservation and building activities, what forms of sufficiency have been and are being practiced? What «first works in the existing fabric» are worth showing that introduce significant architectural oeuvres as building within the existing built fabric?
This elective course discusses current as well as historical theories and practices of preservation. Under the title “Communicate & Exhibit”, the focus in the fall semester is on several positions of monument preservation and of «building in the existing fabric» as well as how these are communicated to the public by preservation experts, architects, and curators. The students devote themselves to influential theories and examine concepts linked to them such as authenticity, conservation, and restoration, but also modernisation, change of use and deployment of resources. The insights gained flow into the development of curatorial concepts, which are to be tested on the basis of a concrete site.