48 C O N T E X T 1 1 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 ‘must be distinct from the architectural composition and must bear a contemporary stamp’.Whereas this 1964 text falls under the sub-heading of restoration, monuments themselves are defined to include their setting; the interpretation, therefore, is taken to be inclusive across the historic environment. Disciples of the Venice Charter, fortified as they are by the Vienna Memorandum, have taken this insistence to justify, first, pedantic conservation results that differentiate between historic and replacement fabric on contiguous parts of single elevations and, second, overtly contrasting modernist interventions in the settings of historic buildings. TheVenice Charter Revisited is an edited collection of 64 essays by specialists from around the world that explore the modernist origins and authorship of the 1964 charter, and seek to address these conflictual issues across a variety of geo-cultural frameworks. Thus, whereas the late Sir Bernard Feilden averred in his seminal Conservation of Historic Buildings that ‘the object of restoration is to revive the original concept or legibility of a building’, Samir Younés’s chapter in The Venice Charter Revisited treats us to a selection of incoherent juxtapositions of historical layering in the street facades of town palaces in Italy. And whereas Gordon Cullen in his seminal Townscape characterises good urban design as ‘the agreement to differ within a recognised tolerance of behaviour’, Irena Bakule’s chapter on Riga, in recording a catalogue of modernist design solutions that ‘disturb the panorama of the Old Town’, makes a special plea for keeping alive the ‘creative human idea’ of distinctive historic places, postulating that ‘contemporary modern architecture should be ruled out from the urban monument area’. TheVenice Charter Revisited is a polemic for a pluralist approach to interventions in the historic environment, whether in conservation work to individual buildings or in the design of new buildings; an approach that is not bound by fundamentalist ideologies whether from the conservationist or modernist camp. Deriving as it does from the stable of the International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism (INTBAU) (whose secretary, Matthew Hardy, is the editor, the architect Robert Adam the chairman, and the Prince of Wales the patron), the orientation of the book is selfevident. Robert Adam’s positive rebuttal of doctrinal ideologues is familiar to IHBC members (for example, ‘Does heritage dogma destroy living history?’ Context 79, March 2003), as is his forceful advocacy and practice of creativity in traditional design. In advancing a pluralist approach for the 21st century, TheVenice Charter Revisited focuses on creative cultural continuity rather than discordant rupture, and harmonious relationships, not conflictual ones. It makes a rounded case in support of traditional architecture and urbanism in historic places. It concludes with the 2007 INTBAU Venice Declaration, whose aim is to encourage a more open and tolerant interpretation of the 1964 text than is evidenced in many of the book’s chapters. Potential readers should not be put off by the length of this book. Each of its 64 essays is a self-contained read, and all contain valuable insights into how conservation philosophy has been and can be practised. It is an important reference for all who question inconsiderate dogma. Dennis Rodwell, architect-planner, consultant in cultural heritage and sustainable urban development. Advice from Scotland Focus: to inform and sustain the conservation, repair and maintenance of the built environment Technical Conservation Group, Historic Scotland, 2010, free catalogue, website and quarterly e-newsletter Information for Traditional Building Owners Technical Conservation Group, Historic Scotland, 2010, free technical guidance leaflets In 2009 Historic Scotland changed its annual publications list to magazine format, calling it Focus and incorporating features on work being undertaken by the enterprising Technical Conservation Group (TCG). The 2010 issue has a feature on insulation and other energy efficiency trials being carried out by the group; latest findings on historic paint analysis; the historic shopfronts research fellowship, which is surveying surviving examples of traditional shopfronts across Scotland; and laserscanning and infra-red thermography. This is in addition to the growing catalogue of technical publications. The group has an excellent record of technical advice and high-quality publications, which are always very reasonably priced. Now Focus is launching a new online Knowledge Base. This will include material ranging from articles and free downloads of booklets, technical reports and PowerPoint presentations, to audio guides and film clips. Visitors to the site can also buy TCG publications online. A search engine will enable users to search for topics of interest, and there is to be a Chat Forum where technical issues and items of interest can be shared and discussed. This will all be available by Christmas 2010 on www.tcg.gov.uk, where it is already possible to sign up for a quarterly newsletter for updates on all the TCG’s latest events and research projects. In a previous review I have warmly commended the TCG’s Inform Guides. These free publications, providing an introduction to a wide range of historic building issues in a straightforward and practical manner, are aimed at both homeowners and those with a responsibility for traditional buildings. There are now 43 publications in the Inform series, with new leaflets issued in 2010 on dry-stone walling, exterior masonry steps, graining and marbling, timber staircases, stone floors, structural joinery, and timber window shutters. While the examples featured in the leaflets are based on Scottish practice, the advice is mostly applicable to other parts of the UK. In the absence of freely accessible technical information from other national agencies, all readers of Context will find the guides of interest and value. Peter de Figueiredo, historic buildings consultant
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