Heritage loss, memory and authenticity : towards a framework for intervention

Abstract

The loss of culturally-significant places is a sensitive topic which may have implications on societies’ collective memories and how people relate to and perceive their heritage. Several intervention strategies may be adopted to address instances of loss; this research investigates this through an examination of theory followed by the consideration of four practical examples of planned or executed interventions in the aftermath of traumatic losses due to war damage, fire and wilful demolition. The case studies chosen – the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the Mackintosh Building in Glasgow, the Berliner Schloss in Berlin and the Royal Opera House in Valletta – represent different types and extents of loss, and the subsequent interventions range from a transformative reconstruction in Munich to preservation of the ruined form in Valletta, a partial reconstruction in Berlin and a full reconstruction in Glasgow. Analysis of these cases indicates that both losses and interventions have the potential to reshape memories and values embodied within places, with the intervention additionally determining by which criteria the final product could be deemed to be authentic. The study also focuses on identifying primary stakeholders and external factors impacting the course of an intervention; these are then used to formulate a proposed framework which aims at allowing architects and other decision-makers to make informed choices which take into account the value, significance and memories of places being intervened upon, along with the circumstances of loss which necessitated the intervention.