Zur Materialität des Neuen Bauens. Bedeutung und Methode der Erhaltung

On the materiality of Neues Bauen. Significance and methods of preservation Obsolete value assessments, stereotypical aesthetic norms and prevalent modern technologies lead to aesthetically inadequate and technologically harmful changes and loss of historic fabric, particularly in the case of monuments of the Modern Movement architecture. The present paper is a plea for the commitment of conservator-restorers in the examination of so-called "simple", non-decorated architectural surfaces: conservation science studies already in the planning process, during the conservation, in specialist supervising the involved trades, including monitoring and aftercare. The clarification of the professional profile is the basis for an appropriate co-operation between conservator-restorers, architects, restorers in crafts and other trades. The materiality of monuments of architecture is not only to be seen as an incorporation of cultural ideas but also as a source of technological knowledge of production and care techniques that have evolved over thousands of years and can also be relevant for modern buildings. In this context, monument preservation can be seen as a paradigmatic form of sustainable building policy.