Conservation and management of the built heritage: Recent works on modern heritage buildings of Portuguese origin

Abstract

Our built heritage is at risk, and this crisis requires professionals who have the ability to protect our shared heritage from various threats, including natural decay, human interventions, climatic changes, and natural hazards. Specialized expertise is necessary to advance protection of built cultural heritage - formerly a niche area, now increasing in importance. We need professionals able to understand structural systems in different cultural contexts, and we must encourage them to develop their expertise with a valuable international perspective. These trained professionals have their own intrinsic market value, with knowledge often not possessed by regularly trained engineers and architects. This knowledge includes techniques of seismic retrofitting that can be extended into any existing building, not just historic fabric; forensic engineering skills such as inspection, diagnosis, and arrest of deterioration and damage in various forms of historic construction; in-depth knowledge of survey techniques; and good writing and communication skills. This paper addresses the definition of an integrated methodology for preventive conservation of historic buildings, the leverage of advanced technologies for the implementation of the methodology and standardization of methods and tools through the development of rules of “good practice”. This is a must to raise public awareness about the societal and economic benefits associated with the adoption of regular preventive conservation actions. For this purpose, two recent works in modern heritage buildings and their conservation management plans will be addressed. The first one is in Beira, Mozambique, which witnessed some of the most important projects of the Modern Movement in the Colonial Portuguese Africa, namely its train station. The building was considered among the one hundred more important 20th century Portuguese engineering buildings. The most striking sector of the complex is the atrium of the train station, with a large vault, asymmetrically juxtaposed to the office building and creating a large volume. The second one needs no further details, as one of the earliest works of the renowned Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza, the Swimming Pool in Leça.