The planners cannot go out today from a tabula rasa situation anymore. Environmental and sustainability issues have already formed the public idea that a 'greenbelt' of our cities is necessary, a kind of fortification leading to intensive development in towns inside a clearly delimited area within the surrounding nature. Since building on the periphery is limited, and the existing built substance has a certain cultural, architectural or at least environmental value, upgrading of existing buildings gains more and more ground from the design of new buildings. Masonry has been already...

The series is particularly aimed at construction professionals - architects,...

This is a book about ideas rather than techniques. Public thirst for visible evidence of the past is not, as it is often represented, a recent phenomenon. It was already well developed when an overseer of ancient monuments was appointed in sixth-century Rome. But if the desire to preserve aspects of the past is to do more than respond to popular whims and fashions or represent the personal views of ivory-towered scholars and specialists, it needs to have some kind of solid logical basis. Philosophical questions are raised at every turn. On what basis can buildings be singled out as...

Presented in a straightforward and highly readable style, these two volumes offer an in-depth guide to all aspects of brickwork and bricklaying practice. Gerard Lynch has put together these comprehensive and instructive volumes linking past knowledge and practices with modern skills and materials, so that both can be fully examined and understood. Volume 1 begins with a background to the historical development of the brick, the craft of bricklaying and of brickwork from the 13th century to the present day. It then goes on to describe the modern manufacture of bricks along with their...

Churches are valuable not only for their significance within Christian religion, but also because of the historic value of the buildings themselves, and the artistic objects, furnishings and decorative features contained within them. This book explains the techniques and artistry involved in caring for the fabric and contents of churches. It considers the problems of cleaning and repair, and the damage that can be done by over-zealous non-specialists. The contributions to this book are wide-ranging and each chapter is written by a highly regarded specialist in his/her field. In addition to...

Access for disabled people in historic settings is more than just a temporary ramp over the front steps for a wheelchair user. It is a commitment to create integrated use and enjoyment of historic monuments for everyone, including people with mobility or sensory impairments, older people, parents with small children, or those temporarily disabled as a result of illness or injury. This book examines flexible and pragmatic solutions to improve circulation in buildings by overcoming level changes, addition of handrails and other facilities which achieve the basic goal of dignified access, and...

Our heritage is rooted in local cultures and environments. However, does modern communication and its international bias now threaten regional integrity? How do we combine global awareness with practical local action, and can heritage be exported from one place to another like Euro Disney? Also, how will future cultural and environmental policies be influenced by the principle of subsidiarity and Article 128 of the Maastricht Treaty? These are some of the questions and issues to be discussed by contributors from the Heritage Convention, and to be included in this collection of papers....