Question

The conservation approach emphasizing the retention of original materials and features of historic buildings and structures is

• A. Adaptive reuse
• B. Preservation
• C. Restoration
• D. Reconstruction

Hint:

\textbf{Preservation:} Retaining the existing form, integrity, and materials of a historic property. Emphasizes maintenance and repair of historic fabric, with minimal change.
\textbf{Restoration:} Recreating the appearance of a property at a specific earlier period by removing later work or reconstructing missing features from that period.
\textbf{Reconstruction:} Rebuilding lost or non-surviving structures or parts, based on documentation.
\textbf{Rehabilitation/Adaptive Reuse:} Altering or adding to a historic property to make it usable for contemporary purposes while retaining its historic character.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Architectural conservation involves various approaches to managing and treating historic buildings and structures. The terminology for these approaches is fairly standardized (e.g., by NPS in USA, or similar international charters). Let's define the key conservation approaches:
Preservation: Focuses on the maintenance and repair of existing historic materials and the retention of a property's form as it has evolved over time. It emphasizes retaining the maximum amount of historic fabric, including features, finishes, and materials from all periods of significance. The goal is to halt further deterioration and keep the building in its current state, with minimal intervention. (This matches the question's description).
Restoration: Depicts a property at a particular period in its history, while removing evidence of other periods. This involves accurately recovering the form and details of a property as it appeared at a specific time by removing later additions or by reconstructing missing earlier features based on evidence.
Reconstruction: Re-creates vanished or non-surviving portions of a property for interpretive purposes, using new construction that replicates the appearance of the historic feature. This is done when a property is too deteriorated to repair or is largely missing, but sufficient documentation exists.
Rehabilitation (often encompassing Adaptive Reuse - Option a): Acknowledges the need to alter or add to a historic property to meet continuing or new uses while retaining the property's historic character. Adaptive reuse specifically refers to the process of converting a historic building from its original use to a new use (e.g., an old factory into apartments), while preserving its significant historical and architectural features. Rehabilitation allows for more changes than preservation. The conservation approach that places the highest emphasis on the retention of original materials and features and maintaining the existing form is Preservation. It involves the least amount of change to the historic fabric. \[ \boxed{\text{Preservation}} \]